Voracity
by Gomboc123
Summary: In a shocking turn of events, Father's newest homunculus, Greed, takes the body of Edward Elric. As Ed's comrades try to fight for their friend, they struggle to know whether or not Edward is still somewhere in there. Idea from MortifiedScientist.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is created by two people, Gomboc123 and MortifiedScientist. We are both very new at writing fanfics, so, if we mess up, forgive us. Tips are welcome! We mean like, seriously give us some tips. We suck. (Mostly Lux.) Feel free to message us.

Chapter one-

The door to Roy Mustang's office flew open, slamming into the wall behind it. He flinched, expecting Edward Elric, coming to scream about something. Roy felt guilty at that thought, remembering that he had abandoned the Fullmetal kid to fight Gluttony with two other teenagers as he and Riza escaped. Roy turned around to look at the figure in the doorway, to see if Edward had won the fight. But the person standing there was not Edward.

"Colonel Mustang! I need your help right now!" Alphonse Elric stood at the door, followed by the homunculus Gluttony, whom the teenagers had been fighting against.

Roy heard his Lieutenant raise her gun behind him, and reached for his gloves.

"Alphonse, don't move," Riza said, aiming her pistol at the figure behind the young Elric brother, "You've been followed here."

"Wait, Lieutenant Hawkeye! Don't shoot him! He's going to help us get Ed and Ling back!" Both Roy and Riza froze at that statement.

"Alphonse, what do you mean, 'get Ed back'? What happened to Ed?" Roy said, lowering his gloved hand, but still keeping it in a position he could explode Gluttony in.

"Listen, you remember how Gluttony started swallowing everything in his path, right? Well, Ed and Ling…" Al paused, looking down at the ground.

"Alphonse, are you saying that that freak of nature behind you devoured your brother?" Roy replied, disbelieving what Alphonse was implying. It had to be something else. Edward couldn't have died.

"Colonel, Lieutenant, please just trust me. Gluttony told me he would lead me to their father to help get everyone out. Envy got swallowed too, so I know they have to do at least something," Al looked up again at the two officers, "Please come with us. We need your help," Even though Alphonse had no facial features, he somehow managed to look like he was pleading.

"So, they definitely did get swallowed…" Roy stopped in the middle of his sentence. Ed was really gone. Edward was gone because of a fight that he had lost, due to Roy leaving him behind. Roy ran his fingers through his hair, mentally cursing himself. It was all his fault that two innocent people had died. One of whom Roy had actually begun to think of as his responsibility. He had to fix this.

"Alphonse, we're coming," Roy stood up, ignoring the pain that stabbed at his side. Riza took her place behind him, still holding her gun, "Where exactly are we going?"

"Gluttony knows. It's something about their father," Al gestured to the homunculus standing behind him. While moving his arm, Roy noticed that Alphonse's hand was missing. Cut clean off, much like the barrel of Riza's rifle earlier in the fight. Oh god, Alphonse had almost been eaten too. Roy couldn't let anything bad happen to the younger Elric, and letting Alphonse get close to that Gluttony freak might result in another horrific accident.

"Let's go," Roy put his coat on, walking briskly to the door where the suit of armor stood. He then turned to Gluttony, "Alright, Homunculus, where are you taking us?"

"We're going to see father," Gluttony replied excitedly, with a smile on his face. How could somebody who had just murdered two innocent people be so.. happy? Roy grimaced, clenching his fists. The four sped out of the office, Gluttony leading the way.

With Hawkeye following close behind him, Roy sped his pace up to match Alphonse's. "Alphonse, what exactly happened," Riza asked from behind the two men. Roy had been too caught up in his own thoughts to think about what the Lieutenant must have been feeling. She had also been with the Elrics every step of the way, and even Edward was nice to her.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, shortly after you two left, Ling, Ed, and I were fighting Envy and Gluttony. Ed and Ling ended up dealing with Envy, and while the three were occupied, Gluttony took his chance to take brother out. All three are gone now. I tried to reach out for them, but he got my arm too," Al held his arm up, shaking slightly, "I was too late in trying to get them back; I let brother get eaten."

Roy knew that Alphonse was blaming himself for what had happened. Even though the suit of armor couldn't cry, the way Al shuddered, and the way his voice sounded choked were prime indicators. Roy was surprised that he didn't have any obvious signs of guilt written across his face.

"Alphonse, this isn't your fault," Roy replied softly, "Listen, the Homunculus still thinks Edward is alive. We can get him back, Alphonse," Roy looked into Al's glowing red eyes, attempting to give the young teen a reassuring look. Roy had never excelled at reassuring people, but he knew that if he really wanted to help Alphonse, he had to at least try his best.

"Colonel Mustang, thanks for coming to help," Was Al's reply, as he broke eye contact, choosing to focus more on the Homunculus turning into the next alleyway.

The paths Gluttony took began narrowing, until they reached a door on the outside of a nondescript brick building. "This… is military property," noted Riza, her eyes taking in their full surroundings.

Gluttony gave no answers, or explanations, and opened the door with a sick smile on his face. "We only have a little bit left to go. Then we can all see father!" The three humans exchanged skeptical glances, unsure of what lay beyond the dark entrance into the building. This insane 'Father' person was obviously the leader of the homunculi; was it really a smart idea to walk right into his lair?

'We have to' Roy thought to himself. He had to try and bring Edward back. He couldn't just let Edward die because of him. He nodded to Riza, who held two pistols now, ready to shoot anything that came at them. Roy reached into his pocket, and put his ignition gloves on. Even if the Homunculus was promising not to be hostile, they could never be too careful.

Alphonse entered the doorway, followed by the two soldiers. Gluttony closed the door behind them, and then moved his way to the front of the group. They began walking along a dimly lit path, next to some sort of water, or sewer system. After walking for about two minutes, Roy started hearing strange growling noises coming from the shadows around them.

"Does anyone else hear anything?" Al and Riza paused, the Lieutenant cast Roy a look indicating that she had also already heard the noises, and Al began looking around them. Roy took his hands out of his pockets, ready to snap at any potential attackers.

"Don't worry," Gluttony said, his voice retaining that deranged, happy tone, "The chimeras won't hurt you as long as you stick with me," he motioned for the humans to keep walking with him. Riza's fingers were curled tightly around her pistols, her two pointer fingers already on the triggers. Usually Riza rested them on the outsides of the trigger guards, as is customary for anyone who is not currently aiming or shooting. Proper gun etiquette and safety were only abandoned by her in truly severe situations. Roy could tell she was worried, even if her face showed its usual calm mask.

After an uncomfortable next few minutes descending, the group of four reached another door. Gluttony turned back and grinned with excitement, and pushed the door open with one fluid motion.

* * *

"Both of you, start gathering any rocks that look like they are part of this circle," Edward barked the order at Ling and Envy, "These are going to be our way out of here." Ling promptly began searching for the missing pieces, with only some minor grumbling. Envy set off, managing to find some larger stone chunks that only its monstrous form could lift.

As the rocks began to start piecing together, Edward repeated his theory in his mind. If he was correct, this circle from Xerxes could help him glean some information about how to escape from this hellhole. The circle down here was beginning to look much like the one that used to be in Lab 5, implying that something such as a philosopher's stone could have been created. As more and more pieces were added; however, Edward recognized it in a different way. Those symbols, that pattern; it reminded Ed of five years previous, when the majority of the transmutation circles he tried to draw looked like this. Human transmutation circles. So that's what the society of Xerxes was hiding all along.

After the rocks were placed, Ed explained the plan to Ling and Envy. This was so far, the riskiest thing Ed would attempt in all his years of being an alchemist. "I'm going to perform human transmutation. On myself."

Ling's jaw dropped, "Human transmutation is what lost you two limbs. This plan could cause your whole body to disappear."

"Ling, assuming that Envy was correct in saying that this was an attempt at making another portal of truth, that means that there has to be a gate to get out of here. When someone performs human transmutation, they go in front of the real gate, and would end up in the outside world. So by getting to the real gate, we would be able to bypass this one and get out." Ed ran his metal fingers through his long bangs, pushing them out of his face. Ling narrowed his already slim eyes, and opened his mouth to speak, but Envy's booming voice was the one Ed heard next.

"Listen, pipsqueak, I have a philosopher's stone. Use it to get us out of here." Ed stared in shock at the Homunculus' contribution, not expecting Envy to have helped. But then he realized exactly what Envy had offered. The philosopher's stone. The very stone made from the blood and souls of hundreds of innocent people.

"Envy, those are people you're talking about. You can't-" He was cut off.

"These souls have long been dead, with no bodies to return to and do you honestly think that they would be able to make it as people? You need to open your eyes, pipsqueak. They're too far gone to make any difference," Envy's bitter comments immobilized Ed for what seemed to him like hours. 'He's right. These people have been trapped for thousands of years,' Ed thought. He hated the idea of sacrificing people for his own gain. It was something he had never even considered doing in exchange for his limbs; but he needed to get back to Alphonse. He couldn't abandon his younger brother especially knowing what kind of ulterior motives these homunculi had.

"Fine… Envy," Ed replied tentatively, "stand on the left side of the circle. Ling, you go to the right," Ed stepped into the center. This plan had to work.

Ed clapped his hands, and pushed them down onto the stone below them.

The next thing Edward knew, he was surrounded by thousands of black, grabbing hands. This time, he let them come. Ed closed his eyes, focusing on deconstructing himself and the others, then reconstructing them again on the outside. He focused on the energy within Envy's stone, letting it flow through him and boost his alchemical power. He heard voices crying out their thanks, crying out at their newfound freedom. It was working. Edward was successfully transmuting a human being.

Finally, the hands let go of their hold on Edward, dropping him down onto solid ground. Ed opened his eyes, expecting to see the forest where the battle had taken place, or one of the surrounding buildings. But what he really saw once his eyes adjusted was a vast expanse of white. Then, the gate. Ed turned, and instead of seeing the white figure of truth, he saw another set of stone doors parallel to his. How were there two gates? Upon closer inspection, Edward's jaw dropped at what he saw. Sitting in front of the second doorway was a blonde figure.

The body turned its head towards Edward, and Ed's suspicions were confirmed. Those wide golden eyes were the ones he had grown up looking into. The long golden hair that was so similar to his and Hohenheim's.

"ALPHONSE!" the rest of Al's body turned, letting Edward see it, unobstructed by any long blonde hair. He was practically a skeleton now, his pale skin clinging to his slender frame. Al's face was gaunt, his hair losing some of its shine, and his fingernails long and jagged at the tips. Alphonse was almost unrecognizable, but Edward knew his brother anywhere. He had finally found the thing he had been looking for, ever since that fateful night in Risembool.

Ed stepped toward Al's body, but in reaction to his sudden movements, the black hands from the gate shot back out toward him. While Ed had been complacent with these hands before, that sentiment was gone. Ed struggled, thrashing and kicking as he was dragged back through the stone doors of his gate.

"Al! Come with me! Hurry!" Ed almost screeched, trying to reach out for the frail figure in front of him.

"I can't," Al replied. Ed's eyes widened, and he slipped deeper into the darkness, "You're not my soul." Edward kept slipping, the doors to the gate closing in front of him, sealing him away from his brother's body. No. NO. He was not going to lose this time. Edward was going to get his brother back, and even if he couldn't now, he would at least make sure Alphonse's body knew he would go down fighting.

Ed felt his automail creak and groan under the pressure and exertion. He felt his stomach being crushed by the black hand that had wound itself around him. He felt his other arm on fire, also fighting against the darkness that threatened to pull him away from Alphonse. But he refused to let that happen. Ed wasn't quite sure how he managed, but amongst all of the intertwined black hands, he broke his right arm free, and lept for the outside of the gate.

"Alphonse! Someday, I'll come and get you!" Edward fought against the forces pulling him back in. He pointed at Al's body, his gaze determined and unwavering, "Just wait right there!" With that final message, Edward was once again pulled into the abyss.

* * *

Gluttony entered the large room, filled with pipes, and walked to the middle, where a figure in white was facing away from them. Roy, Alphonse, and Riz followed closely behind, all three on high alert for anything that might ambush them.

"Father, look at what I brought," Gluttony exclaimed, walking closer to the man in white. The Homunculus gestured to the three people now scanning the room with their eye, ready to be on the defensive in case of any kind of situation.

"Gluttony," the man paused and turned to face the homunculus. 'Father' stepped back, and seconds later, a flash of blue light erupted from where Gluttony was standing. Roy gasped, and raised his arm in front of his eyes to shield them from any light or flying debris. The wind picked up in the room, whipping Roy's uniform bottoms around his legs. He heard a roar, and a deafening thump, and instinctively put one arm in front of Riza and Alphonse as if he was shielding them.

The crackling of electricity subsided, and Roy lowered his arm, blinking twice to readjust his eyes. In the center of the room stood some kind of giant green monster, with peculiar bumps covering its body. Roy couldn't see very well from his point of view, but he could have sworn they looked like faces embedded in the beast.

"Ling!" Alphonse ran out toward the smaller figure next to the monster, "Ling! Where's Ed?" Alphonse stopped.

"What?" Ling asked, and immediately turned around to look for the other teen. Roy moved closer to the center, Riza remaining only a step behind him, fingers still glued to the triggers.

"Where's Brother?" Alphonse asked again, his armor beginning to shake. Roy felt his hand twitch.

"He should be here," Ling replied, looking more frantically around him, "Edward! Edward where are you?" He yelled, looking at the giant green atrocity.

"Don't look at me," it replied, eyeing Roy as he walked closer. Roy noticed the details of the monster, and confirmed his worst suspicions. Attached to the sides, were, in fact, human faces. Roy heard a soft gasp from Riza, and he readied his gloves.

"What the hell is this thing?" Roy almost growled, as he also looked around the room for any signs of the Fullmetal Alchemist. Edward had to be somewhere in the room.

"Envy, turn back to normal now," Ling ordered the monster sharply. Envy?

"What?"

"Envy, did you or your stone do anything to Ed?" Ling asked, his eyes narrowed into two straight lines, "Where the hell is Edward?"

There was no reply from anyone, the silence in the room growing suffocating as everyone realized what had just happened.

Roy's heart sank, his face visibly falling. Fullmetal had to be alright. Ling and even that Envy monster had survived. Neither of them could perform any sort of alchemy, so it had to have been Ed bringing them back to this world. Edward could not have died because of this. No, he wouldn't. Could he? Doubts clouded Roy's mind, and he almost lost his composure in front of everyone. This was his fault for leaving. Edward was stuck in some kind of abyss because of Roy's mistake to leave the kids alone to fight a Homunculus.

"EDWARD?" Alphonse yelled, dropping down to his knees. Roy considered doing the same.

"Ed was the one who assured us the human transmutation would work," Ling paused.

"The WHAT?" Al whipped his head back up toward the Xingese prince. Oh god. Ed's first human transmutation had cost him so much, and that was only to bring back one person. How much would the price be for three?

"Edward found some old Xerxian human transmutation circle. He- he said something about how crossing through the gate would bring us back into the normal word," Ling replied, looking down at the suit of armor.

"And you let him?" Al shuddered. Ling opened his mouth to reply again, but was interrupted by another round of blue sparks coming from Gluttony. Another bright flash filled the room, and soon the sound of coughing could be heard behind Envy, who was being unnervingly quiet.

"Brother?" Alphonse yelled, and jumped up off the ground.

"Alphonse?" the voice replied. It was weak and coughing, but there was no denying that it was Edward Elric's voice coming from behind the beast. Thank god. Roy felt as if a thirty pound weight had been lifted off of his chest, and he slowed his abnormally fast breathing. Edward was alive.

Before Roy could say anything, the man in white spoke from his place on the other side of the room, "Ah, now that all of you have been nice enough to join us, it's time we get on with the main event."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Chapter 2 is here! We hope to update weekly, so stay tuned.

* * *

"Main event? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Edward stood up off the ground, pushing his long bangs out of his face. He wheezed as he stood, grabbing his chest with his automail arm.

"There's not going to be a main event," Roy yelled, from the other side of Envy, "Edward and Ling are back. Everything that was supposed to happen already has."

"Alphonse, Ling, help Edward," Hawkeye commanded the other two teens. Al sprung into action, quickly running to the other side of the monster.

"Where do you think you're going?" Father asked quizzically, lifting his hand. Columns of stone grew from the sparking red ground, blocking the only exit from the chamber. The sparking subsided, and Father stepped down from the raised center of the room. Roy looked around, trying to figure out whether or not he could blow the rocks up and escape through the door.

"We're leaving," Roy yelled, fearing what that crazed Father person would do to them if they stayed. He snapped his fingers, sending flames toward the new blockades Father had raised. The deafening bang that filled the room afterward and the smoke that filled the air seemed to indicate his success, so Roy grabbed his Lieutenant's wrist and started running for the place the explosion had hit. Behind him, he could hear Al's armor clanking as he ran for it as well.

Roy focused on moving the dust particles in the air away with alchemy, and when he did, stopped straight in his tracks.

What had been hidden in the dust, was a red sparking barricade, twice as high as the first. Riza stopped, and clicked the safety off of her pistols. The Elric brothers and Ling also stopped, close behind the Colonel, all gasping at how quickly Father had been able to construct a new wall; and without even moving.

Roy raised his hand to snap, putting his other in front of Riza to signal that he was going to explode something else. He snapped, but before he could further ignite the air, the ground beneath them began moving. Roy lost his balance, and fell into Riza, who was also struggling to keep on her feet. The spot the five humans stood on began rising, and pulled closer to the center, away from the exit.

Father lowered his hand, and in doing so smoothed out his white robes, "I told you, I still have plans for you yet." Edward's eyes widened as he inspected the figure closer. He began to shake, and rubbed his eyes with his hands.

"You…" Edward began, and regained his footing on the stone with minimal difficulty, "What the hell are you doing here, Hohenheim?" he yelled, as Alphonse gasped. 'Hohenheim?' Roy thought. He wracked his brain trying to remember where he had heard that name before. It seemed so familiar; he must have heard of this person before. But where?

"Dad?" Alphonse yelled, now also standing. Then, Roy remembered. Ed had mentioned Hohenheim; the father that had abandoned the Elric brothers at a young age. The one whose absence pushed the brothers to attempt human transmutation. Their father was the ringleader of the homunculi who had terrorized Amestris and almost killed Roy and Havoc.

"Hohenheim?" Father asked, "How could you compare me to that lower life form?" He scoffed. So he wasn't Hohenheim?

"What does that mean, you bearded bastard?" Edward stopped in his tracks, still clutching his chest and cradling his arm against it, "You look just like him."

"I can assure you that lowlife is nowhere near us," Father gestured his hand as if he was swatting some kind of bug. Edward seemed like he wanted to do the same thing- only to Father's face. "Now, it is time to add the newest addition to our little family here."

Roy looked at Edward, completely confused as to what was happening. Ed looked back, mouthing something that looked suspiciously like 'What the fuck'. Roy's eyes scanned the room again, this time looking at the ceiling, and in the corners of the chamber. There had to be some kind way to get out of here. Ed caught on to what the Colonel was doing, and began doing the same. He caught sight of the pipes all leading to one spot in the darkened left corner of the room. There. They had to be going somewhere; and that somewhere would lead them out from underground.

Ed looked back at Roy, and noticed that the older alchemist was also looking at the same corner of the room. He nodded to Roy, and Roy moved his hand ever so slightly behind his blue military uniform. Riza caught on to what was happening, her mahogany eyes also glued to the left corner of the chamber. Alphonse and Ling were close to follow suit, exchanging glances, and shifting into fighting positions. "NOW!" yelled Ed, jumping into action.

Roy snapped, illuminating the corner, and confirming the group's suspicions that there was a path leading from it.

Ed started off running, and clapped his hands to turn his automail into a sword. He then knelt down, sending a barrage of rocks toward father and the homunculi. Riza shot at Father, letting Roy slip behind her to run with Edward. Alphonse saw what his brother was doing, and also sent sharp boulders toward the man in white.

After the rocks had all landed in the middle, covering Father from the group, they all tore off in the direction of the pipes. Ling led the group, his natural speed giving him an advantage. He almost reached the small pathway out, when Envy landed in front of the group. Ling drew his sword, but wasn't quick enough to strike before Roy sent flames toward the large homunculus. Envy howled in pain, sending its gargantuan green tail flying toward the group.

Ed clapped, ignoring the pain in his human hand. He needed to raise a wall between them and that crazed homunculus before they all got hit. Blue sparks leapt from the ground, and a growing barricade of rock rose up. But it was too late. Even with a three foot tall wall, Envy's tail obliterated any resistance, and sent all five humans flying backward.

Roy hit the ground with a crack, and rolled over twice before finally stopping. He propped himself up on his elbow, doing his best to ignore the stinging on all of his exposed skin. His rough landing caused the knees of his pants to rip open, and one of his elbows. The resulting scratches seemed to start burning, no doubt due to all the dirt and dust particles from the ground. He put his other hand on the ground trying to steady himself, but his arm only collapsed back down. Roy winced, feeling that the arm was most likely broken. His instinct was to glance over at Riza, who had only been hit with the end of the tail, and not been thrown quite as far. She was also getting up; her hair having been knocked out of its clip and her guns having been knocked away from her grasp, she looked pretty helpless, sucking in a sharp breath. Even she was visibly hurt on her side, at which her shirt had ripped, and Roy could see a deep gash from a rock she had hit on her way down.

Riza looked like she had literally had the life knocked out of her, after being hit the lightest, so he could only imagine how Edward and Ling felt. Roy looked behind him, maneuvering the best he could with his semi-functional arm, and saw that both figures were at least moving. Ling was able to regain his upright position, only relying on his sword somewhat for balance. The right side of his face was bleeding, as was his bare chest, but he looked alright for the most part with mostly flesh wounds. Edward, however, was a completely different story.

Edward tried, but was unable to even sit up, His automail still seemed functional, although his flesh arm looked injured beyond repair. It had been broken before, but it was completely shattered now. The various cuts on Edward's face- both the new and the old- had begun bleeding again, the bandages wrapped around his forehead now ripped into pieces and scattered around the room. His shirt was ripped at the left shoulder, exposing that bleeding body part to the stinging dust the commotion had kicked up. From Roy's vantage point, He couldn't see Fullmetal's legs, but the way Edward was wheezing, and remaining on the ground, one of them was most likely broken. Edward had already needed medical attention when he first arrived, but now… Now the situation had become ten times more desperate.

"Brother!" Alphonse exclaimed, the suit of armor also looking worse for wear. Al ran towards Edward, and helped his brother get into at least a sitting position.

"Al…" Edward wheezed, his breaths even more strained than before, "Al… Get out of here…"

"Fullmetal," Roy managed, as he used his uninjured left arm to stand up, "Fullmetal, we're all getting out of here." Roy looked up at Envy- the thing that had almost obliterated the entire group in a single blow. Roy glared; maybe he could do the same. A snap resounded against the cavernous walls, and the next thing everyone heard was screaming from the giant monster, and hundreds of other voices.

Once the smoke subsided, it was replaced by the smell of burnt flesh, and the sight of a blackened Envy. The faces that had once been part of the monster had now stopped screaming; they were now reduced to ash. Envy struggled to stand as its leg regenerated.

"YOU GODDAMN BRATS!" It screamed, and began toward the humans before the red sparks had subsided, "I MAY NOT BE ALLOWED TO KILL ALL OF YOU, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'LL COME OUT OF THIS UNSCATHED!" Edward winced, and Roy braced himself for the impact to come.

"That is enough, Envy," Father's voice rang out above all the others. The ground beneath their group began moving again toward the middle. 'Not again' Roy thought. 'All of that couldn't have been for nothing.' All Envy could do was stop and glare, as the humans became further distanced from it. Envy was stopped for now, but was by no means placated.

"What's going to happen now really isn't so bad," Father said, as he stepped out toward Roy, "I still need you alive for later," Roy tried to back away, but tripped over Riza and landed on his backside. Father kept advancing, and the two soldiers scrambled to get up. "Stop moving," Father commanded to deaf ears.

Finally, Father sighed, and the sparking red ground lifted the Colonel and the Lieutenant closer to the bearded figure in white. Father lifted both hands, pressing one onto Roy's chest, and one onto Riza's forehead, "I want to show you that both of you are safe for this time," Riza squirmed, but was caught by the rocks father was controlling around them. Father's hand on her head began also sparking red, and Riza's body stopped moving.

"LIEUTENANT!" Roy yelled, and began thrashing on his own. Now, the red sparks were coming from the hand on his chest. He felt his lungs constrict, but then fill back up with oxygen. The stinging from his cuts subsided, and he felt like he could move his arm again. By the time he opened the eyes he didn't realize he had closed, Father had completely let go of both he and Riza. His Lieutenant was blinking in confusion, and examining her side which had previously been ripped open by a sharp stone. Not even a trace of a scar was left.

"What was that," She breathed, now looking up at the bearded figure, "How did you heal us so quickly?" Ling, Alphonse, and Edward were also staring, Ling's jaw hanging open in shock. No doubt the Prince was wondering how he could gain this ability as well.

"I told you I still needed my sacrifice alive- and for you, woman, consider it an act of goodwill," Father turned to the rest of the group, "My plans for the rest of you are slightly different," Father approached Ling, "I hear you have been seeking immortality. Do you wish to find it?" Ling's eyes grew wide, and he dug his sword deeper into the ground for balance.

"What are you suggesting?"

"You seem to be a skilled fighter. You could be very useful in our plans," Father reached out to his forehead, and a third eye opened up. Out of the new eye, a red liquid began to flow out into Father's hand. The liquid, quickly hardening, took on the color of blood, and glinted light. Edward coughed, realizing what the substance was, "This, Prince, is a philosopher's stone. And you are going to become the newest member of our little family."

Ling gasped, and dropped to his knees. "So you're going to turn that brat into a homunculus?" Envy's voice echoed from behind. Everyone stared at eachother in shock. "That's how a human-based homunculus is created."

"What the hell?" Edward gasped. He tried getting at least onto his knees, assisted by Alphonse, "Homunculi are supposed to be artificial humans. How would it work if they started out as the real thing?" Neither Father nor Envy supplied an answer, "Ling, you can't go through with this."

"Edward, it's a philosopher's stone. It's immortality. Lan Fan gave her arm for this- the secret that could help save our clan. I need to go through with this, Edward!" Ling's hands began to shake, "Lan Fan couldn't have sacrificed so much for nothing."

"Ling, don't you realize... what's going to happen to you?" Edward replied, the best he could, "It won't be you anymore," Ed's words were becoming more and more labored, "You don't know…"

"I need to do this. Nobody can stop me!" Ling snapped, Edward shut his mouth, "I didn't go to hell and back to come out with nothing. Ed, I can fight it. I'll come out of this alive," Ling broke off, and looked up at Father. It was obvious Ling was scared, but Ling did nothing to vocalize his doubts. "I'm ready," He said, and Father took one step closer. He would have taken two- had the explosion not sent chunks of stone flying to the center of the room.

"What the hell is this place?" A gruff voice resounded through the chamber, followed by two pairs of footsteps. Roy strained to see who had entered, and had to rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing correctly. Standing at the new gaping hole was the criminal the military had been chasing for the past few years; followed by a Xingese girl less than half his size, holding daggers in each of her hands.

Roy had been confused earlier, but now he felt as if he had stepped into a completely different reality. "Scar?" He managed, and held one of his hands up.

"You state alchemists are here?" Scar replied, equally bewildered. So he wasn't after Edward and Roy this time? "Are you helping this monstrosity?" Scar gestured to Father and the two Homunculi.

"State Alchemists?" The little Xingese girl dropped her fighting stance and looked hopeful, "Is the Fullmetal Alchemist here?" She asked Scar, her eyes shining.

"He does seem to be," Scar pointed, "What is he doing? What's going on?" Scar's tone became increasingly concerned, and Roy whipped his head back around to Father just in time to see the Philosopher's stone drop, and Edward leap on top of Ling.

The crimson stone fell in what seemed like slow motion. It hit Edward on the chest, on one of the bleeding gashes in his shirt. He fell as the stone did, landing on top of Ling, and knocking the prince to the ground. Father tried to reach his hand out, no doubt to reach the stone expected to drop onto Ling. Edward's recklessness hadn't been a part of the original plan, and the bearded man should have been more careful about becoming distracted.

Roy should have too- because the second Ed hit the ground and rolled off of his friend, an almost inhuman screech filled the chamber.

The noises coming out of Edward were nothing like he had ever made before; they were nothing like any noise Roy had heard anyone make before. Ed kept rolling on the ground, his arms grabbing at his chest as if he couldn't breathe. Roy thought he yelled something, maybe Alphonse and Riza did too, but he couldn't process any words, as he was too glued to watching the scene in front of him. Edward kept clutching his chest, and curled into a ball, still screeching, when Ling reached out for his friend. So far, this looked like the most pain Roy had ever seen Edward in, and felt compelled to reach for the child as well. Compelled until Edward's pain became explosive.

Edward's small body began sparking red, more energy flowing through it at one time than if Edward had been struck by lightning. Edward began convulsing, his arms flailing, and his entire body caught in an endless fit of spasms. His screaming was choked out, and Edward was hitting the ground hard, his appendages banging against the hard stone and his head bashing into whatever was near it. Roy took back his hand, not wanting to give Fullmetal anything else to hit himself with. This already broken child couldn't keep this up much longer. Roy couldn't take this much longer.

"You're killing him!" Alphonse screeched, running for his brother's flailing body, "Make it stop! Make it stop!" Al's voice was as frantic as Roy felt, desperation twinging every syllable.

"Fullmetal! Hey! Listen to us!" Roy didn't realize he was yelling until all the words had left his mouth. This couldn't be happening to Edward. None of them would even be down here if they hadn't been left alone in that fight. If Roy had stayed, Edward never would have gotten swallowed. They never would have had to enter this literal hellhole. Edward wouldn't be dying. It was all Roy's fault. He kept screaming. This was all his fault.

* * *

All Edward remembered from his haze before was jumping in front of Ling to stop him from killing himself. He remembered yelling, then pain, then screaming.

Edward felt as if both of his limbs were on fire. He could envision the third degree burns, the ashy look of charred flesh. He felt as if he were being deconstructed again- ripped apart by the truth in the portal.

He felt the energy flowing flowing through his veins, inflaming the flesh around them, threatening to burst. He felt his head and imagined it as a grenade, as volatile as one of the Colonel's explosions. He felt like he was dying.

" _Hey, kid_ ," An inhuman voice from behind Edward said, causing the young alchemist to open his eyes, " _I can make it all stop. You just have to listen to what I say_."

* * *

Edward kept sparking, but slowly the convulsions stopped. After what seemed like an eternity, the last shriek from Edward's mouth also escaped, and the child collapsed on the cold, hard ground.

Roy scrambled to get to him, followed closely by Riza, and met on the other side by Alphonse and Ling.

"Brother!" Alphonse exclaimed, holding Edward up in his arms, "Edward! Listen to me!" Alphonse almost never addressed Ed by his first name; only when the situation was becoming dire.

"Edward!" Ling exclaimed, examining Ed's chest for the wound the stone had entered. But there was no wound. Ed's chest looked as if he had never become injured in his life. Alphonse shook his brother, and immediately the young alchemist scrambled to his feet. Thank god. He was alive.

"Brother!" Alphonse said, also coming to his feet.

"I don't know who this used to be, but I sure as hell aren't your brother. The name's Greed." Maybe Ed wasn't alive after all.

* * *

" _Why should I listen to you?_ " Edward spat, his voice starting to become drowned out by all the screaming others, " _What is this?_ "

" _Listen, shorty_ ," Ed was ready to kill this guy now, " _This is a philosopher's stone. Take a good look. You can either come willing, or be forcibly integrated. With the latter, I can't ensure your survival_ ," The source of the dominant voice was one black face amongst the sea of red. A giant black mask, floating in front of Edward.

" _What's… What's going to happen_?" Edward's chest still felt as if someone had exploded a bomb inside of it.

" _Just stop struggling, and the pain will stop. Then, you have the pleasure of becoming the new Greed_ ," Edward's eyes widened at that.

" _Greed… He's dead… We saw… he died…_ ," Ed was at a loss of words. How was this the same homunculus?

" _You must be talking about the old Greed_ ," Ed now realized how similar the giant black mask looked to the Ultimate Shield, " _Better think quick, kid. Time's gonna run out soon. What'll it be?_ " Ed contemplated his options.

He could let this 'Greed' homunculus take over his body, and remain conscious of what was going on, or he could reject it, dying forever. Edward squirmed at the notion of someone else controlling his body, looking into his mind. He couldn't just become a useless pawn for Father. But then again, he would be useless to Alphonse dead. He needed to do something. Maybe- just maybe- if he let Greed in, he could fight it out later. One small sacrifice for now, but later on, it could pay off. He needed to stay alive and fighting for Alphonse, and for Winry. He couldn't make her cry again. He couldn't put her through any more hardships than he already had.

" _Sorry, kid. Looks like I'm going to have to use force,_ " Greed started, but was soon cut off by Ed's frantic yelling.

" _Take my body! Just do it, Greed! It's yours now!_ " 'And only for now' Ed added in his mind. He was going to stay alive. Winry and Alphonse were not going to be alone.

" _If you say so_ ," Greed replied nonchalantly, and Ed closed his eyes. He'd been to hell and back twice now. How bad could a third trip be?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Thank you so much for all of the amazing reviews and follows! I'm so glad everyone is liking this so far! This is the chapter where Greed!Edward ( or Gred, as I call him) is finally acknowledged, so this is gonna be fun!

Italics in conversations between Greed and Ed mean that they are talking internally to each other. When one of them is talking, and it isn't italicized, it mmeans they are talking out loud.

* * *

"No.. You can't be Greed," Alphonse shuddered, looking at his brother, "We saw Greed die…" Alphonse looked up at Edward, expecting to find an answer in his familiar gold eyes; but he found none. Alphonse found nothing but foreign purple inkiness. He heard nothing but a deeper masculine voice coming out of Ed's body. The smirk that had spread its way across Ed's face was not his brother's. Everything was foreign now- it was wrong.

"Kid, I don't care what you've seen before, but I'm the new Greed. Your little brother or whatever is gone now," Edward's body stood up now with one hand on its hip. The voice coming out of it sounded just plain wrong. This wasn't Edward. The realization crushed Alphonse under what felt like an entire city. His brother had been consumed by some monster; and Al failed to stop the tragedy from happening.

"Edward-" Colonel Mustang stood only two steps behind Alphonse.

"My name is Greed now. Don't you humans get it?" Greed rolled his eyes, and used his non-automail hand to brush his long bangs out of his face. Alphonse caught a glimpse of red- an ouroboros tattoo. Even though Al didn't breathe, he felt as if he suddenly needed to. The tattoo had sealed Ed's fate. It was proof that the homunculus had taken over. 'No,' thought Alphonse as he began to shake, 'Ed can't be gone.'

"I don't give a shit about whoever you think you are," the Colonel replied through gritted teeth, "Edward has to still be in there somewhere, you lunatic." Colonel Mustang's hands were twitching, no doubt he was ready to unleash a barrage of flames toward Father and the rest of the homunculi.

"Welcome, Greed, my son," Father stepped toward his newest creation, his arms outstretched. The gesture may have seemed welcoming, but Alphonse could sense the distaste in the older man's voice. It had not been in his plans for Edward to become a homunculus; that forfeited one of his valuable human sacrifices. Obviously, even Father was not quite sure how to handle this situation. Possibly, he could remove the philosopher's stone from Edward, taking Greed along with it. But if he did that, would Ed still remain intact? His body had been deconstructed and reconstructed multiple different times, so would it still be safe to inhabit without a philosopher's stone?

Questions swam through Alphonse's mind as he tried to rationalize the situation. The sooner he thought about how to fix what had happened, the better. It was his fault for not being able to hold Ed back. It was his fault that Ed had tried to save Ling, and his recklessness was something Alphonse had to have seen coming. Alphonse had to try and keep a cool head about things. As an alchemist, he had mastered deconstructing a situation, and analyzing it to find the best course of action. He had to focus on that, not troubling himself with the personal side of the crisis. This would be damn near impossible.

"Hey pops, thanks for the new body," Greed began, flexing his flesh and blood arm, "But couldn't you have chosen someone a bit taller and more attractive?" His expression turned into a joking frown, and he flipped his bangs out of his face. It was a mannerism Ed used to have, and seeing the homunculus do it made Alphonse shudder.

"Greed, this is your new host, and you are going to have to accept it as such," Father replied, after a minute of consideration. Al's heart sank. So Father wasn't even going to try and correct his mistake? Could Father have even done it in the first place? Alphonse felt like sinking to the ground in despair; his brother might truly be gone for good.

Greed rolled his new violet eyes, and his right shoulder began sparking where Ed's automail connected with skin. Greed looked down, and frowned, "What the hell…" He kept sparking his shoulder, and Alphonse realized that he was trying to regenerate it, "Why isn't this working? The brat's arm won't grow back!" Greed shouted to nobody in particular.

"His arm was taken by Truth after he passed through the gate," Father replied quizzically, stroking his beard with one pale hand, "I had wondered whether or not you would be able to regenerate it…" Father stepped closer to his new homunculus, taking Greed's automail arm into his hands. It sickened Alphonse to see Ed's body being violated; limbs examined by two evil entities as if they no longer belonged to Edward. The homunculus and his master showed no sign that Edward might still be alive somehow.

"Hey!" Shouted Ling, leaning heavily on his sword for balance, "Explain to me what the hell is going on!" The Xingese Prince looked as angry as Alphonse looked disparate.

"You try to order me around?" Father scoffed, "Gluttony, you can eat him," With a simple wave of his hand, Father dismissed the Prince, and Ling was forced back into action. Despite Ling having sustained the least injuries during the Envy fight, he was the only one of their group who had not been healed; rendering him almost unable to fight.

"Wait a minute-" Ling exclaimed as Gluttony lumbered to where the Xingese Prince was standing.

Alphonse turned toward his friend, and and transmuted a wall just in time to block Gluttony's assault. The Colonel and the Lieutenant also assumed fighting positions, becoming acutely aware of the surrounding homunculi... and people. Alphonse had forgotten about Scar and the small Xingese girl standing silently in the hole in the wall. As soon as Al made eye contact with Scar and his companion, the young girl spoke.

"Mr. Scar, you said that the Fullmetal alchemist is here. We should help him," The small girl said, "Where is Mr. Edward?" Why was the girl looking for Ed? And this was the most inopportune time; seeing as yet another fight was beginning.

"He's that small one, standing in the middle," Scar pointed at Edward with one hand, his other curled back into a fighting position. Despite how distracted the young girl may have been, Scar was acutely aware of the situation, his eyes focusing on the homunculi.

"What?!" The Xingese girl jumped up and exclaimed, "How could you do this? Toying with a young maiden's heart?" She swiftly pulled five small knives out of her pocket, and assumed a fighting stance with Scar. Alphonse became increasingly confused as to what her role in the situation was.

"Scar!" Al heard Colonel Mustang yell out, obviously also confused. Scar briefly glanced at the Colonel, but looked down at the Xingese girl after she tugged on his sleeve.

"I can feel the negative energy coming from the center, there," She pointed, her face a serious contrast from what it was before, "It's coming from them."

"So this man is reason for the negative energy in this country," Scar's face hardened into a glare. He stepped forward toward the middle, ignoring the rest of the people on the way, "You're the man behind all of this madness," Scar growled, as he stood in front of Father. Greed stepped back, nonchalantly putting his hands in the air.

"Who are you to challenge me?" Father mused, causing Scar to clamp his right hand over Father's face. Alphonse gasped as red alchemical sparks flew everywhere, further illuminating the chamber. Father leaned backward, but once Scar's attack was over, Father pushed himself back into his rigid standing position.

"What," Scar's red eyes widened in shock, causing him to be almost hit by a column of rock coming from behind Father. He ducked out of the way, and the Xingese girl threw a knife. Another column of rock shot up, the knife sticking into it. The girl also gasped, and had to be as quick as Scar was in dodging Father's next attack.

"Envy, Greed, Take care of these humans. The only ones you can't kill are the armored boy and the military Colonel. The other four are useless to me," Father's detached tone was gone, replaced by one tinged with anger.

"Wait!" Alphonse and Colonel yelled at the same time, glancing back at Ling and Hawkeye. Ling was still leaning heavily onto his sword, while Hawkeye was counting how many bullets she had in her chamber.

"Damn, I was starting to get annoyed by all of armor-boy's questions," Greed rolled his eyes, and sauntered on past Father toward the group of humans, "And I don't want to fight the women either, pops." Every word that came out of Greed's mouth was such a distinct change from Edward's, that Alphonse was frozen in place. This Greed thing was the opposite of Edward in so many ways that Al was surprised Ed's body hadn't rejected the homunculus entirely. In fact, that gave Al an idea.

"Brother, I know you're still in there!" Al yelled, as Greed walked toward them, flexing his automail arm, "I know you can hear me! Don't let Greed take charge!" Greed furrowed his brows, but continued walking. Al heard Envy's heavy footsteps.

"Stop pissing me off, kid," Greed said, "Don't instigate anything when I can't hurt you," He stopped in his tracks and waited for Envy to join him.

"Come on, armor-boy, let's start the real fight now."

* * *

Edward's limbs moved, his mouth talked, and his heart kept beating, but he felt none of it. Ed saw the scene playing out in front of him, and he could do nothing to stop Greed or anyone else. He could see Alphonse shaking, and the sheer terror on Mustang and Hawkeye's faces. He watched as the small Xingese girl got mad at him, and how she and Scar attacked Father, while thoughts of protecting the bearded bastard ran through Greed's head.

Ed had to watch, as Father told Gluttony to attack Ling, who could barely stand up on his own. He tried to move his legs, but they wouldn't do anything. He had to help fight. He had to punch Gluttony in the face. He had to do something. But he couldn't.

Trying his hardest to move any of his limbs at all exhausted Edward, who felt like he was trapped in the middle of the ocean. He kept swimming and swimming, but he wasn't getting any closer to land. And the strong current in the water was trying to pull him under. He had to keep swimming, but if he exerted himself for too long, he would tire and be swept away.

" _Greed!_ " He yelled, " _Stop doing this!_ " If Ed couldn't physically control the homunculus, he could at least try to convince it to listen to reason.

" _Kid, stay out of this,_ " Greed warned, his tone annoyed, " _You told me that I could have your body, so stop trying to take it back. I am powered by a philosopher's stone, a force much stronger than the likes of you_ ," Greed continued to listen to Father's commands, his arms and legs moving with controlled fluidity.

Ed grimaced, and crossed his arms, " _Greed, you can't hurt Ling,_ " Edward tried to keep as calm as he could, but the words still came out through gritted teeth.

 _"Father told Gluttony to attack him, not me; I'm not attacking anyone at the moment,_ " Ed felt Greed roll his eyes. He was annoyed. That gave Ed a brilliant idea.

" _Why would you listen to that bearded bastard anyway? What has he ever done for you?_ " Perhaps Ed could distract Greed with talking, then take over. Bombarding Colonel Mustang with questions always irritated him, so Ed figured he could use the same tactics with this stubborn homunculus.

" _In case you didn't just realize what happened, he made me. Don't you listen to your dad?_ " Greed answered, irritation hinting in his voice.

" _Van Hohenheim is a lying bastard who doesn't deserve any respect,_ " Greed's response had hit Edward in a touchy place, and Ed realized he had let his personal feelings get in his way. He mentally cursed, then regained his calm. Van Hohenheim was not the bastard Edward had to take care of now, " _Don't you realize that he's just using you?"_

" _Whatever, kid_ ," Greed's energy was starting to focus more on the conversation with Edward than the scene unfolding in front of them.

" _Come on, Greed, don't you remember what you did in Dublith?_ " Hopefully that would hit a nerve.

" _What? It's not going to work, I know you're plotting something, kid. Just give up and let the stone integrate you_ ," Greed was also grimacing at this point, his black mask twisting into something even uglier. Despite his protests that Ed couldn't do anything, the homunculus seemed awfully annoyed. Ed's plan was starting to work.

" _I'm going to stay right here, thank you very much_ ," Ed turned his nose up to the air, and gave Greed a look that was usually reserved for Colonel Mustang. Greed glared, but soon tore away to listen to whatever Father had to say next. This was perfect. Greed was easily annoyed, and if there was one thing Edward was good at, it was being a little shit.

"Envy, Greed, Take care of these humans. The only ones you can't kill are the armored boy and the military Colonel. The other four are useless to me." Ed dropped his smirk, and his arms, letting them hang to his sides. No… Greed couldn't attack Ling and Hawkeye… Ed's mind dropped the thoughts of controlling Greed as he worried about the rest of the people in the room.

"Damn, I was starting to get annoyed by all of armor-boy's questions," Greed replied to Father, then briefly turned to Ed, " _Tell you what, we can fight that weird scarred guy. You don't care about him as much as those other humans_ ," Greed quickly quipped something to Father, but Ed didn't process the statement. His mind was reeling at the thought of his friends and Mustang having to fight him. He froze at the thought of having to see his own body fighting them.

" _Greed! Stop!_ " Ed shouted, his thought process only half-coherent, " _You can't fight anyone!_ "

Greed continued to saunter toward Alphonse, his gait feeling awkward and different to Ed. The longer Greed walked and talked and held control, the farther Ed felt he was slipping. Everything about Greed having taken control disgusted Edward, and aided Ed's inability to think of a plan to stop the homunculus from attacking everyone.

He tried his hardest to move his arms, to force the limbs into submission, all to no avail. He tried to stop his legs, but the homunculus kept making confident strides. This limited autonomy made Ed cringe, and threw him deeper into his mindless struggle. His head was becoming foggy, the exertion becoming too much. He couldn't do it anymore. He was slipping. All the events of the past two days were wearing down on Ed, and Greed's possession was the tip of the iceberg. He couldn't take this for much longer.

"Brother, I know you're still in there! I know you can hear me! Don't let Greed take charge!" Ed jerked up at the sound of Alphonse's voice. His brother, the one shining ray of hope he had in all of his darkest times. He couldn't give up- not while Alphonse was still out there fighting. Not while Alphonse was still in that armor. He had to keep trying, for Alphonse.

Ed stood up, and looked at Greed's black mask, narrowing his eyes. Greed quipped something to Alphonse, his voice annoyed. The homunculus didn't even notice Edward's action. Greed's conversation with Edward had already started to wear him down, and Alphonse was doing almost the same thing. Even when they were separated, the Elric brothers seemed to know what the other was thinking.

Greed stopped in front of Alphonse, and waited for Envy to join him. Ed kept his strength, not letting his presence fade away. He watched as the green homunculus shrunk down to human size, and look Greed up and down. Envy's face twitched with disgust, and it quickly turned away. Greed's voice echoed in his head, " _Stupid prick_ ," Edward grinned on the inside. The homunculi disliking each other could be extremely beneficial later on.

"Brother!" Alphonse called again, giving Ed more motivation to remain standing, "Please talk to me! You can't let Greed do this!"

"I told you kid, I'm not supposed to kill you," Greed almost growled.

"Fullmetal!" Ed was caught by surprise at the sound of Mustang calling his name, "Come on, Fullmetal! You need to fight it out!" Even the Colonel was being civil now. Ed thought about punching Mustang in the face, and felt even more determined to gain control over Greed.

"Edward, you can get rid of the homunculus! I believe in you!" Lieutenant Hawkeye had caught on to Al's plan, and was also shouting now. The usually quiet lieutenant only ever raised her voice in serious situations, and when she was absolutely confident of what she was saying. And Lieutenant Hawkeye always knew what to say to make Ed feel better.

" _Don't try anything, kid,_ " Greed warned Edward, still focusing on the other humans. His annoyance was becoming increasingly audible, " _I can feel that you're up to something."_

With that warning, Greed and Envy exchanged a glance, and the two were off running. Greed went for Scar and the Xingese girl, while Envy targeted Ling and Lieutenant Hawkeye. Alphonse slowly disappeared out of sight as Greed ran past him and focused on the assassin.

Scar's face hardened, and he flexed his arm. Greed ducked down, and threw a punch at Scar's stomach. Scar easily dodged, and used his momentum to propel his leg toward Greed's ankles. Greed jumped, and Ed saw his left arm turn black. The ultimate shield. Ed felt a crawling sensation, and watched as his skin hardened and his hand spurted claws. The crawling feeling subsided, and Ed looked at the new foreign limb with wonder.

Greed's ultimate shield spread across his body, and Ed heard Scar gasp as Greed's face turned into a black mask. Greed smirked internally, and used his advantage to finally land a blow to Scar's face. He grunted, and fell back bleeding from Greed's claws. Greed watched him fall, but quickly had to divert his attention to the Xingese Girl and her knives. Five hit him on the chest, clanging and bouncing off.

"I'm not gonna fight you, little girl," Greed's voice came out as more of a low growl. The girl's eyes widened as she realized how much of a failure her attack was.

"I thought you were a good person, but now I see how much of a monster you are. Your chi is so rotten I can barely stand it, Edward Elric," Her high voice and round face distracted from her threatening statement, but her point still got across to Ed, who was still confused as to why she knew his name.

"I am not the Fullmetal Alchemist. How many times do I have to say that I'm Greed? The Elric brat is gone," Greed's happiness about his victory with Scar subsided, as the homunculus became irritated once more, "I don't fight women, so just stand out of my way," Greed growled, and glared at the girl until Ed heard an explosion behind him. Greed spun around, and saw Colonel Mustang combusting a screaming Gluttony.

"Damn," He whispered, and reluctantly stepped toward the fire. Scar's blood had gotten into his eyes, and he was coughing on the ground, while the girl was split between helping her friend and fuming at Greed. He didn't want to fight her anyway. Father had said not to kill the Colonel, but stopping the bastard from killing Gluttony was still allowed. Ed could hear Greed reasoning everything out as he murmured to himself.

Greed advanced toward the Colonel, letting his ultimate shield down in order to become lighter and run faster. Ed felt his skin crawl again, but was relieved to see his arms return to their normal pale color. He saw the Colonel snap again, and Gluttony let out another scream. Lieutenant Hawkeye stood behind him, having escaped Envy, looking around back and informing his superior of the situation around them. Her sharp eyes caught sight of Greed, and she quickly turned toward the Colonel and his head snapped back around.

"Edward-" Hawkeye said, lowering her pistol. Greed smirked, and took that chance to try and hit her. She saw it coming, and whirled around to the other side of the Colonel. Mustang threw his arms up, and blocked Greed's punch.

Ed yelled, but Greed wouldn't listen. It was one thing to attack two of his enemies, but attacking two allies, especially while one of whom was the Lieutenant- that was a different story. Ed tried to move his arms, and Greed lurched forward awkwardly, as opposed to his agile motions before. " _Kid, this is your last warning to fuck off,_ " Greed groused, his anger very apparent.

Ed struggled again, but was quickly shut down by Greed throwing a kick at the Colonel. Mustang was less agile than the small homunculus, but managed to stay on his feet. He returned to a defensive position, while Hawkeye aimed her gun at Gluttony.

"Fullmetal, stop this!" Greed threw another punch, "I know you're still in there!" The Colonel's face was twisted into a concerned expression, different from the usual indifferent mask he wore. He seemed like he was actually concerned with Edward's wellbeing.

Greed tried to kick again, aiming for Mustang's ankles. The older man fell with a thud, but scrambled back to his feet quickly. Greed frowned, and expected a blow to come toward him, but there was no attack.

"Fullmetal, I'm not going to fight you," He growled, his arms in front of his chest defensively. Ed tried to stall Greed's movements, not wanting to attack Mustang. Despite the Colonel being a obnoxious bastard, Ed couldn't help but feel a tinge of respect for the man. Mustang had been there and stood by him even though Ed had made it his personal goal to patronize the Colonel. Mustang was a solid ally, one who he didn't want to fight.

"Newsflash," Greed's voice rose in volume, "Fullmetal is gone. Greed is the only one inhabiting this body," Greed threw another punch. Mustang blocked it again, his face becoming more determined.

"Edward Elric, I know this homunculus is not going to be the thing to kill you. You still haven't achieved your goal," Ed felt his grasp on his limbs grow stronger as Greed's energy was focused on how to fight the Flame Alchemist.

"His goal is gone, just like he is," Greed replied, and raised his arm. The ultimate shield spread across Ed's flesh, turning everything black, and turning his face into its monstrous black mask. Mustang dropped his arms, and a look of horror spread across his face. His gasp made the Lieutenant turn around, and she let out a fearful yelp as she saw the homunculus. Ed had never seen the two adults so shocked and afraid, not even when they were almost killed by Scar. The two officers had never seen Greed's shield before, and Greed used that in order to slash his claws at them. Hawkeye pushed Mustang to the ground before any major damage could be done, but Greed succeeded in grazing the two of them, "Do you still believe your little friend is alive?"

Edward screamed at Greed again, trying to do anything to stop him. Not only was Greed attacking two people who had no intention of fighting back, but this was the Colonel and the Lieutenant. These were two people who had proven their loyalty and trust time and again. They didn't deserve to get hurt. Greed raised his hand to slash down one more time on the Lieutenant, and the Colonel's hands, and out of his periphery saw Alphonse sprinting toward them. Greed's hand shone black above his head, and Edward fought with every ounce of his strength to keep it there. He couldn't hurt these people, especially not with Alphonse watching. He couldn't let Alphonse think he was a monster.

Greed tried to move his hand, but Edward kept it from coming down. It seemed like years, but the resistance only lasted a few seconds, and once again, Greed was on the attack- until Roy Mustang opened his stupid mouth.

"I never thought I'd die because of someone so much smaller than me," Roy half-mocked, half-seriously exclaimed, most likely just to get one last reaction out of Ed, Greed, or whatever the hell was in control. Ed snapped, and Greed's lapse in control let the young alchemist gain control.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST CALL ME, COLONEL BASTARD?!" Ed didn't have the time or the knowledge of how to recede the ultimate shield, or to completely stop his hand. But he did manage to use the momentum to slap the Colonel across the face. His eyes flickered gold, and the corners of Mustang's mouth lifted up into a smirk. Ed's voice sounded warped and distorted by the shield, but it was undeniably his.

"I knew you were in there, Fullmetal." He and Hawkeye stood up, once again on the defensive.

"I can't..." Ed concentrated hard on keeping his mind, "I can't keep this up for long…" He looked at Alphonse, "Get out! Escape now, I'll hold the rest of them off!" Ed's head hurt like crazy, every fiber of Greed's being fighting back.

"No. We can't just leave you," Roy started, but was cut off by Ed's distorted voice.

"Get out of here, or else someone is going to die," Ed pressed his automail hand up to his forehead in pain.

Alphonse gave some kind of signal to Lieutenant Hawkeye, and she silently nodded back. "Colonel, let's go," She said hesitantly, watching Ed struggle, "Edward, We'll come back for you. We'll find a way to stop this." Her soft voice reassured Ed, helping him calm the frantic battle within his head. She grabbed Mustang's sleeve, and the Colonel finally gave an indication that he would go with her.

"Brother, I'm so sorry. Too many of us are hurt," Al shook slightly, and looked at Edward with his glowing eyes, "Brother, this isn't goodbye," Envy and Gluttony ran toward their small group, and Al glanced nervously at the approaching homunculi.

"Al, I can try can fight them, just go," Ed staggered forward, his steps awkward and jerky, and met the advancing homunculi. Mustang snapped, and the two were delayed again, the smoke giving everyone enough time to run for the hole in the wall. Ed saw Al, Mustang, and Hawkeye run for it, but he couldn't see Ling or the small girl. Scar was sneaking off to a different corner, finally having cleaned the blood out of his face. Where was Ling?

Envy coughed, and turned for the running people, its face distorted with anger. Envy began running, but was stopped by Ed grabbing it. Mustang sent more flames to burn Gluttony and add more of a smoke cover, and Ed frantically searched for Ling. Nowhere in the large chamber could Ed see a familiar black ponytail. Envy wrenched itself out of Ed's grasp, but it was too late- all the people in the room had disappeared. Ed hoped that Ling had just escaped while the others were occupied.

Ed sighed with relief, but quickly fell back to the ground. He twitched twice, then felt Greed take over again. " _If you try that one more time, kid, I will end you_ ," Greed's black mask growled, attempting to intimidate Edward. But Edward didn't even care at that point. Alphonse had gotten out alive, and he knew that he could somewhat control Greed. Even if it was the smallest glimmer, hope still hadn't been squashed out.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Happy Valentines Day everyone! Sorry I posted this pretty late, but I was also working on a different Royai AU for the holiday! But this chapter also got super long, so I hope that makes up for it.

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and favorited! And to answer a couple questions, the Briggs arc is coming up next, and it will be different from Brotherhood, but it will be a Briggs arc. Also, Ed has been nothing but a hostile little shit toward Greed this entire time, so it might take them a little longer to accept the fact that they might have to work together.

Thank you again, and I hope everyone enjoys!

* * *

Roy snapped one last time, leaving the underground room full of homunculi in a cloud of dust. Leaving Edward and that monster in the cloud of dust.

Every step Roy took farther away from Father's room became heavier with guilt. The last time he had left the teenager alone with the homunculi, he had been swallowed and injured to the point where he could barely walk. Ed had also been thrown into this situation because of that. Had Roy stayed to help last time, Greed could never have wrapped its claws around the boy whose safety and wellbeing Roy cared about.

It was evident from how Alphonse was acting, and how horrified Ling had looked, that Roy was not the only one who blamed himself. Even Riza's ever-stoic facade was cracking at the edges. All Roy wanted to do was absolve them of any guilt, or blame they may feel, because it wasn't their fault for this. Roy had left Edward alone. Roy was the one who had constantly let Edward get himself into dangerous situations without thinking twice.

Roy was so caught up in thinking, that he almost missed the corner Alphonse had just rounded, and had to catch himself before slamming face-first into a wall. Hawkeye shot him a quick glance to see if he was fine, but Roy nodded forward, a signal to keep going. As much as he wanted to burst back into Father's chamber and save Edward, he knew they had to get out as fast as they could due to their injured.

From what Roy had seen, Scar had taken a particularly nasty blow from Greed, then had fought Envy with the Xingese girl before slinking off into the shadows. The small Xingese girl in question, however, was nowhere in sight. All Roy knew about her was that she had allied herself with Scar and became their enemy by association.

Despite her knife-throwing skills, and her determination, Roy still felt queasy at the thought of a child as young as her on the battlefield. She had to be ten years old at most. Roy hoped she escaped with Scar, using some alternate route. She looked bloodied, from the glimpses Roy saw of her fighting Envy after Greed had left her; but the girl was hopefully in stable condition.

The other severely injured person in their group was Ling, who Roy had not actually laid eyes on since the middle of their battle with the homunculi. The Xingese prince not only bore injuries from this battle, but from the one last night, where he was literally eaten alive. Earlier, Hawkeye had signalled with Alphonse, the Colonel left out. He guessed they had come up with a plan to conceal Ling in Al's empty suit of armor, in order to be able to remove him from the situation quickly and without risking Ling getting further hurt or slowing them down in their hasty getaway. They definitely were not going to leave Ling there, so it was the only logical explanation for the Prince's disappearance. It was a brilliant plan, one Roy could have credited himself with coming up with.

Roy listened closer to any noises coming from inside the armor, and surely enough, he heard faint winces every time Al rounded a particularly tight corner, or had to jump up over something. Lieutenant Hawkeye was certainly one of the smartest people Roy had ever met.

Hawkeye began panting heavily, quickly followed by Roy. Alphonse seemed to be running faster, farther away from them, with his inhuman endurance; that or maybe the two humans were just unused to sprinting for long distances and were slowing down.

Riza was a sniper, a job that required the ability to sit still and quiet for hours on end, not requiring her to endure constant physical strain. Roy, meanwhile, was able to use his flame alchemy from long distances, not really needing to use anything other than his hands. Sure, the two soldiers were in good shape, but they weren't made for this.

Roy could see Riza wipe the sweat off her brow using her hurt forearm and accidentally smearing blood all over her face. Roy let out a small snicker, paying more attention to Riza than the path ahead of him; an action which made him fail to notice a pipe to jump over, and firmly plant his face in the dirt. He grumbled, but became relieved that it wasn't Riza or Alphonse (whose armor held Ling) who could risk getting further injured or having a homunculus catch up with them on the ground.

The slightly humorous situation soon turned dark, as images of more blood flashed through Roy's mind. He saw Edward's face morph into that horrifying monster's, wondering if he would ever look normal again. He couldn't let anything bad happen to anyone else today.

Roy caught back up to his Lieutenant, and Alphonse kicked open a door to the alleyway through which they came. Al slammed it shut after everyone was out, then clapped his hands and sealed the wall shut. The group ran three streets over to a more secluded area, and the boy quickly collapsed to sit on the ground.

"Alphonse?" Riza tentatively, putting her hand on the armor's shoulder. She had always been good with the boys; even Edward admired her, "Alphonse, are you alright?"

"It's- It's my fault, Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Al choked out a sob, "I should have been there! I should have protected him better!" Al's head hung low.

"Alphonse, it's not your fault," Riza replied, getting down onto her knees.

"Yes it is! I should have held him back! I should've protected him better from getting swallowed! I should-" Hawkeye cut Al off, and Roy felt a pang in his own heart. Did Al really think he was responsible? Alphonse should be mad at Roy, not himself.

"Blaming yourself is not going to get you anywhere. You need to have a clear mind in order to get Edward back," Riza's tone had shifted to one less soft and more resolute. Roy wanted to say something to Alphonse; he really did. But he found himself frozen in silence. Riza always knew the right thing to say; it had been like this ever since they were teenagers.

"Lieutenant, you don't understand," Al looked at her with his glowing red eyes.

"It isn't your fault," Her voice was almost a whisper, and she stood up. Riza held out her hand for Al to help, "We should get to Dr. Knox's house soon. Right now we need to focus on preventing anyone else from getting hurt." She turned toward Roy, "Let's go."

* * *

"Don't go after them, it's a waste of energy," Father sighed from his chair, "It's clear that they'll put up a fight if we try and harm the other humans. We need them to cooperate," Father glanced at Greed once, before his eyes flitted back to Envy and Gluttony. Father did not seem to have the patience at the moment to deal with a group of rebellious humans.

Envy growled at the ground, "Fine, but that Mustang guy was really starting to piss me off," Envy kicked a pebble, letting the stone sail across the room.

"Everything will come in due time, my child," Father replied, his voice still passive and emotionless, "And you, Greed, I welcome you again to this family."

Inside Greed, Ed snorted, " _Family?_ " This bastard couldn't be a better Father to anyone than Van Hohenheim ever was. As Ed's thoughts wandered to the connection between Father and Hohenheim, Greed spoke up.

"Thanks, pops," Greed flipped Ed's blonde hair out of his eyes, "So what do Fullmetal pipsqueak and I do now that the fight is over?" Greed kept growing the ultimate shield over his left hand, then retracting it, watching the black carbon as it came and went in amusement. Father ignored Greed.

"We need to keep them in line. I believe Wrath already has a plan for Colonel Mustang, but the younger Elric brat still needs a hostage," Ed's attention snapped back to Father and Greed's conversation. _Hostage_?

"I saw a vision of some blonde girl in this kid's mind. My guess is they have a family friend or something," Ed's heart stopped. How had Greed seen Ed's memories? Weren't he and Ed two separate entities? "The kid was almost integrated into the stone, so I only got flashes of it," Greed leaned against a piece of wall rubble, remaining nonchalant.

Ed had to re-work his theory. So he wasn't a completely separate entity from the homunculus. When he felt he was slipping, part of him had, in fact, been integrated. Was that part still fused with Greed? Ed cursed himself silently, as all he could think of were new questions rather than new answers.

"Wrath said he met one of their childhood friends after they fought Scar- speaking of that bastard, where is he?" Envy placed a hand on its hip, and looked around the room. Gluttony also perked up at the mention of Scar; the creature had a weird obsession with wanting to eat the Ishvalan.

Ed almost started screaming at Greed again, but that would only put her in more danger. The homunculi were threatening _Winry_ \- someone who Ed had known since he was a baby, someone who he… cared very deeply about… Winry was sweet, and caring, and if anyone deserved to stay out of this hellish situation, it was her.

"Then Wrath and I will need to have a discussion after he deals with the Flame Colonel and his little team," Father also nonchalantly played with a lock of his hair. Ed wanted nothing less than punching that self-absorbed bastard so hard that his fist would leave a hole. How could he talk about ruining peoples' lives like they were nothing? How could he talk about something as sickening as hostages without even batting an eye or thinking twice?

"And as for Scar, he is still killing our potential candidates, so we will continue our search for him tomorrow," Father stood, and gestured for Gluttony to come close, "Your stone needs to be replenished before we take any further action," Greed rolled his eyes and went back to playing with the ultimate shield.

Ed didn't pay particularly close attention to how exactly Father replenished the power of Gluttony's stone, instead focusing on the conversation that had transpired. He knew he had to warn Alphonse and Winry somehow, or convince Winry and Granny to leave Amestris. If Ling had been correct, and Wrath was indeed Führer Bradley, then he knew who Winry was. As much as Ed hated to admit it, leaving was the only true way to keep his family safe.

There had also been talk about Colonel Mustang and the team, arguably as troubling as the Winry situation. Wrath was supposedly "handling the situation", but how? Father had mentioned a hostage situation again, but was he going to take the whole team hostage, or find loved ones of theirs to take? Neither instance would turn out pretty, and Ed knew that a crucial part of Mustang's success was the fact that he had built a small, elite team and information network. Cutting the team off would render Mustang useless almost as successfully as rain would. As much as Ed hated the Colonel, Mustang was a valuable ally.

"Greed, I want you to get into the tunnels and make sure no ordinary humans can still get in," The homunculus lifted his head up and rolled his eyes again.

"Sure," He waved one hand and walked into the hole. Greed mumbled something to nobody in particular about how boring this was going to be, and trudged into the dim pathway. Ed, on the other hand, was delighted at the fact that he could have some time to think about the events that recently transpired.

It seemed that his resistance of Greed was the only thing keeping him alive, and the only thing keeping his secrets from becoming public knowledge. Greed had let up on the forced integration tactic a little while ago, most likely in hopes of letting Edward tire himself out. He had to get to Alphonse, and warn him about Winry. To do that, Ed would need to be strong enough to take control again. Ed looked at Greed, and decided that for now, silence was the best course of action.

* * *

They had arrived at Dr. Knox's house as fast as they could, aided by a car the humans had stolen. Riza had been picked as the driver, due to the fact that she was the only one with a license who seemed calm enough not to crash. Roy and Alphonse went on and on about how she was brave to remain so levelheaded; they couldn't have been farther from the truth.

In reality, Riza was just as terrified as the rest of them. Her mind kept going back to Ed's face replaced by the black monstrosity that was Greed, and the way he had screamed when the stone entered him. Riza hadn't been so scared since Ishval. So she began to cope with this the same way.

Just like back then, she was one of the main ones to blame for the tragedy. Years ago, it had been letting the secret of flame alchemy become public. Now it had been dragging the Colonel away from the fight with Gluttony. She had prioritized the Colonel over a group of children, and now Edward was paying for her mistake. So she shut down. She couldn't show any emotion. She couldn't cause further pain to the people she cared about. She needed to say what they needed to hear and let them hold onto her tight like a stone pillar.

She told herself it was because Roy and Alphonse needed to see her strong that she remained so stoic, but there was always that small voice in the back of her head. " _You're running away. Just like you always do_ ," It's shadow crept over Riza's mind.

Riza's death grip on the steering wheel turned her knuckles white. " _You're going to crash soon_." And the voice wasn't talking about the car.

If Roy noticed anything strange, he didn't say anything the rest of the drive. But there was the definite possibility that he didn't notice anything off about her. he was too busy eyeing the injuries Father had healed on her side. She wanted Dr. Knox to check those out to make sure nothing was wrong with them, but her side was dangerously close to her tattoo. In fact, she was worried her uniform top had torn in a way that a portion of the notes were already visible. Although Roy had said nothing to her, so it might be alright.

They got to Dr. Knox's house, and Riza silently rejoiced at the fact that she wasn't behind the wheel anymore. As the four of them walked up the pathway, Dr. Knox opened the front door in anticipation. "This isn't a goddamn hospital, you know," he gestured for them to enter

"Please, Dr. Knox, we have two more injured," Alphonse opened his armor once they were in private.

"Two?" Roy asked quizzically, "Lieutenant, are you alright?" His voice's pitch had risen.

"He means Ling Yao and that small Xingese girl the homunculi fought. I'm fine, sir," Riza tried her best to keep her voice from rising like the Colonel's had.

Al opened his suit of armor, and inside, in the left leg, stood that girl and the small panda. The right leg had half of Ling Yao inside, with Ling already coming halfway out of Al's torso. Knox helped Ling out, and led the Prince to a nearby armchair, "I told you it wasn't a good idea to leave this fight to a bunch of children," He moved to the small girl and carefully set her to lay down on the couch.

"Doctor, if you could also look at something for me, too," Roy stepped forward, most likely also wanting to see if Father could really heal broken bones in an instant, "It's a long story, but someone healed me using some kind of alchemy, and now my side where I burned my wounds closed in that fight with Lust doesn't hurt anymore," Roy unbuttoned his jacket, and then his shirt. Next, he and Dr. Knox gasped and he turned to Riza. The scar was completely gone. Riza had seen the burn scar, and in the Laboratory, it had to have taken up at least half of his abdomen. Now, only soft pale skin remained.

"What the hell," Dr. Knox breathed, and Riza just stared. What kind of person wields so much power? But soon, Riza's mind wandered to her own scars. Father had healed her too… Her hand reached up to her left shoulder, where her burn scars began. He couldn't have healed her… He couldn't have restored her father's research notes…

He couldn't have made the tattoo, and flame alchemy whole again…

She shot a look at Roy, sending him a signal. She needed him to check the tattoo later on. He nodded, looking as pale as a ghost. He definitely understood what she meant. He knew what could happen if Riza's tattoo was full again.

Dr. Knox turned to the two Xingese patients, and began a quick examination of them while Riza turned to her superior, who began speaking, "Lieutenant, I know today and yesterday have been insane, but I believe our best course of action is still continuing to Central command and seeing who's on our side like we were planning on doing," Roy gulped once, then regained his composure and continued, "Now, more than ever, we need to know if we can trust anyone. If you don't want to follow me, you don't have to-"

"I'm coming with you no matter what, sir," Riza almost saluted, but realized that she was in friendly company and there was no need. Roy was always so stupid and selfless, and she couldn't help but smile. He didn't deserve to blame himself like he always did.

"I want to stay here with Ling and Lan Fan and the little girl, if that's alright with you," Al spoke up from next to Ling's armchair.

"That's a good idea, Alphonse. I hope everyone recovers speedily," Riza tried to soften her tone when talking to the boy.

"Hey, Lieutenant, do you want me to transmute your jacket back together for you?" Al asked a bit sheepishly. Riza then remembered the large rip that might look strange if she walked into Central command. She then realized exactly how bloody the jacket was, and how she wouldn't be able to wear it anyway. But Al had been so sweet in his offer that she couldn't turn him down.

She took her coat off, being careful to try and hold the ripped edges of her black turtleneck together. It was partially because of the tattoo, and partially because Alphonse was a normal teenager, trying to look anywhere but at Riza's exposed skin. "Here, Alphonse," She held the torn coat out to the alchemist, and he put it on the table. Al clapped once, and in a flash of light, the transmutation was done.

"Thank you," She put it back on, and gave Al a comforting look. He had been through more than anyone should have to endure in one day, and deserved all the kindness in the world.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more. All of your clothes are ripped, Lieutenant Hawkeye," Al toyed with the long strand of "hair" on his helmet. Riza knew that he was still broken up about Edward, and his way of coping was trying to help everyone else.

"You've done more than enough, thank you," Riza ran her fingers through her dirty hair, trying to get it into some kind of order.

"You've just- you and the Colonel have done so much for us, and I wish I could do more to thank you," Riza was taken aback by Al's sudden praise. She glanced back at Roy, who looked equally surprised.

"Alphonse, I could say the same for you," Roy finally spoke up, "You and your brother have both been helpful in situations like this," It was rare for Roy to show his affection and appreciation, and even Alphonse let out a slight gasp at the compliment. Roy had also been eerily quiet before, only choosing to talk now. Riza was sure he was trying not to worry Al, just like she was. And he had finally gotten a grip on his emotions well enough to talk to Al.

"Th- thank you Colonel," Al stammered back, "Good luck with the military," Al waved as Riza and Roy turned to walk out the door. Riza waved back, and tried to give Al one last reassuring smile before closing the door behind her. Al's well being was priority, next to Roy's. The situation was tearing them up, so she needed to be there to stitch them back together.

After the two soldiers re-entered the car, Roy spoke, "We need to change into clean uniforms. I can fix them with alchemy, but they're still covered in grime and blood," Roy looked down at his torn blue pants. So Roy was avoiding talking about the tattoo, then.

"I can just drop you off at your apartment, go to mine while you change, then pick you back up," Riza offered, not bringing up the matter of her back either. It was nice to pretend it didn't exist, but Riza knew eventually she and Roy would have to confront the truth.

"Sounds good," Roy looked out the window as Riza drove away. The ride remained silent until the two of them reached Roy's apartment.

"Riza, if you want, you can shower here, and I'll transmute your uniforms back to normal and wash it," He looked at her.

"Are you sure, sir?" Riza asked, surprised at the offer. It might seem that the two of them were breaking laws if they were caught in the same apartment. Using his title was her subtle way of communicating her weariness of the fraternization laws without flat-out reminding Roy rudely.

"And we can also look at… the tattoo situation," Roy's voice dropped in volume. There it was; the inevitable subject of Riza's back.

"I was wondering if you understood me back there," It was a lie, but Riza was honestly at a loss for words.

"I know how you feel about your tattoo, and I want to be there for you if we find something wrong," Roy was using euphemisms to describe the delicate situation; a sign that the subject pained him as well.

"Thank you, Roy. I appreciate the offer," Riza looked into his eyes, and the traces of professionalism that surrounded them were gone. Riza reasoned that it might do her some good to have him there to check.

Without another word, the two of them exited the car, with Roy leading the way up to his apartment. hey entered the small living space, and the both of them kicked off their boots and went into the living room, "If you could set your clothes outside the bathroom door while you're showering, I'll take care of them," Roy led Riza to the bathroom in question, "I can put some clothes out for you to wear while your uniform is in the laundry."

"Alright, thank you," Riza stepped onto a cold tile floor, "I really appreciate this," She closed the door behind her and undressed. She avoided the mirror, hoping to somehow deny the inevitable. After depositing her clothes outside, she turned the water on, and stepped into a hot shower.

Riza's forearm stung where Greed had grazed her, and she frowned at the thought of Edward being forced to do that to her. It was Edward, after all, inside the homunculus and watching everything happen. She knew that he would feel awful and guilty about hurting anyone he cared about.

As Riza watched the muddy red wash out of her hair, did she realize how physically involved in the situation she was. She had been thrown across a room, scratched and sliced in multiple places, been pushed in the dirt, and most likely smeared with some of the Colonel's blood when they were leaning on each other. Riza had been so focused on Edward- or Greed, rather- that she barely noticed what was happening to her. The vision of Ed's face after the homunculus had taken over kept reappearing in her mind. She rubbed her face with her hands, letting the hot water distract from the memory that was sure to appear in her nightmares.

Riza reached out for soap, finding the remains of half a mint-smelling bar. She looked around the rest of the shower, seeing only Roy's expensive hair and shaving products. She realized that she would either have to smell like him, or forego soap and take a second shower when she got back to her own apartment. The thought of possibly being more dirty, and her arm becoming infected prompted her to take Roy's shampoo in her hand and apply it into her hair.

Soon, Riza finished her shower, and got out, still avoiding the bathroom mirror. She put clothes on; one of Roy's white shirts and a pair of soft cotton pyjama pants. After shaking her hair dry, she entered Roy's room, and motioned for him to take his turn.

"I made some coffee, in the kitchen, so you can pour yourself a glass," He said, and picked up another soft cotton towel for himself, "Everything's in the washing machine now, so make yourself comfortable," Roy was acting as if nothing had ever happened, and the strangest part of the day was Riza being at his apartment. It certainly was strange to both of them, and it was much better than dwelling on the battle.

"Thank you," Riza told him for the millionth time that day, and walked into the kitchen. She poured herself a mug of the coffee Roy had set out, and made her way to his couch. She then sat down in peace for the first time in the past two days.

As much as she hated it, Riza thought it would be best to use this peace and quiet in order to think over a plan for the future. Thinking about things rationally was their best bet at surviving the whole ordeal.

She knew she and Roy would go to Central Command, and find some of the higher-ups to join their side of the fight. If Führer Bradley really was a homunculus, they would need all the help they could get.

Then, there was the issue of her father's research notes. If her scars truly had been healed, the tattoo needed to be destroyed again. Riza vowed to endure the pain and third-degree burns again if it meant wiping flame alchemy off the planet for good.

After that, they had to deal with the most pressing issue- Greed. Riza wasn't an alchemist, so she knew little to nothing about how homunculi worked. All she knew was that once the stone entered Ed, so had Greed. And Ed was still alive, so to get rid of Greed, they would need to destroy the stone. They would need Alphonse's help with that, as the teen knew more about soul and human alchemy than Roy. Even though the situation was bad now, there still remained hope to fix it. After Central, they needed to meet up with Alphonse again, and pool their information.

"I see you found the couch," Roy entered the room, donning a clean uniform and a ghost of a smile.

"Yes, and the coffee is also much appreciated," Riza replied, the faint smile also evident in her own voice. She stood up, and hard as it was, and faced Roy with a new determined expression, "I haven't looked at my back yet, but I wanted to ask you something first," She started.

"Riza…" Roy could easily guess where this was going.

"If the notes truly are still there, I want you to burn them off again. I need you to burn the entire tattoo beyond recognition, so that nothing like this can ever happen again," Riza's trembling hands set down her mug of coffee.

"Riza… I can't…" Roy's voice was almost a whisper.

"You and I both know that this isn't just about hurting me," Riza looked him in the eye.

"I know, but I won't be able to live with myself if I hurt you again. And last time your wounds were painful enough," Roy stepped closer to her.

"Roy, please," Riza felt tears sting at the edges of her eyes, "The only way I will ever feel safe or happy is if you do this. I need you to be here for me, Roy," The silence that filled the room afterward was deafening as Riza held her pleading gaze. She saw the fear and pain in Roy's black eyes, and she knew this would cost them both severely, both mentally and physically. But it needed to be done; and as much as Roy hated to admit it, he knew that fact too.

"Fine," He looked down, and Riza turned around. Every button she undid seemed excruciatingly slow- her hands were trembling with anticipation. It was then that she realized Roy hadn't seen her back since he burned it all those years ago. He hadn't seen the angry red results of his handiwork.

She heard Roy suck in a sharp breath behind her, his was of preparing for the horror that was to await. Then, she came to the last button on his shirt, the last thing separating Roy and an impossible choice. The last thing separating her mind and the reality she knew her healed back would hold.

She dropped the shirt to the ground.

A choked sob rang out from behind her. She knew it would be like this. It was stupid to have hoped otherwise.

"I'm so sorry, Riza- I'm so sorry…"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N I am so sorry that I didn't update at all last week, especially with that evil cliffhanger I left. I am so sorry. But I promise that there won't be longer than a two week wait in between chapters without notice.

But on a positive note, I am overjoyed at all of the reviews and favorites! Honestly, I didn't expect so many people to be reading, and Every time I read the reviews it makes my day! You guys are all awesome!

So sometime, I'm going to go back and edit the previous chapters for mistakes I made writing and grammar, nothing plot-wise, so there's no need to re-read anything.

Also, when Ed and Greed are talking to each other in Greed/Ed's head, it is italicized, but when one of them says anything out loud to other people, it's normal. Just a warning so nobody gets confused later on.

Again, thank you for reading, and reviews are welcome!

* * *

Alphonse could only stand to the side and watch, when Lan Fan had staggered out of her room due to the commotion. The girl immediately rushed to her prince's aid, seeming more concerned about his injuries than her missing arm. The way she selflessly voiced her concern about Ling's well being reminded Al of his brother when Ed had lost his own arm. Edward had had that same panicked yet relieved look on his face at the fact that Al was alive. And that same sad guilty expression, for not being able to protect him from harm.

The reunion between Ling and Lan Fan had warmed Al's hypothetical heart, the two foreigners hugging each other and laughing at their survival. But happy as Al was, the absence of Ed's presence made the room seem empty.

Once Lan Fan realized that she was hugging her prince, she stumbled back, and kneeled down into a bow. Ling smiled at her, and they exchanged some words in Xingese. Al turned his attention to the doctor and the small Xingese girl. Dr. Knox was looking at her chest, looking for any signs of broken ribs.

"Will she be alright?" Alphonse asked as he approached.

"I think so. She seems to only have a concussion along with some minor scrapes and bruises," The doctor looked up and sighed, "How old is this girl? She looks ten at most."

"I don't know-" Al began speaking, but stopped as he saw Lan Fan come out from behind him, a dagger in her hand.

"The young Lord and I recognize this girl. The Chang clan princess, May. She may be only twelve years of age, but she is deadly, and our competition," Lan Fan raised the dagger in her fighting stance.

"Lan Fan, wait!" Al cried out. Even though he didn't know May, Alphonse did know that he couldn't let Lan Fan attempt to murder her.

"Alphonse, don't interfere with the affairs of Xing," Ling's voice rang out from behind them.

"Guys! Stop this!" Al took a step toward Lan Fan, who was agile even in her injured state. This day was just turning into one disaster after another. First Ed, then whatever was making the Colonel and the Lieutenant act weird, and now this.

Lan Fan made no moves to put her weapon away, so Dr. Knox stood up and sighed. He walked over to Lan Fan, and looked down at her small frame, "How do you plan on killing someone in your condition? Girl, if you injure anyone in this house, or if you even _try_ and fight someone here, there will be consequences," Lan Fan faltered slightly, but remained in her fighting stance, "Besides," Dr. Knox added, "If you get too rowdy, you might stir up an unknown pathogen from the floorboards and kill us all," That made the assassin's eyes widen, and Dr. Knox led her to a chair next to Ling's.

The next hour went fairly smoothly. The little girl- May- was put to bed in a different room to rest, and for the doctor to clean her wounds. Then, Dr. Knox examined Ling. The prince had two broken ribs, as well as several deep wounds that were most likely already becoming infected. He took a longer time to bandage up, and was put into Lan Fan's room to rest.

After the Xingese patients had all been taken care of, Alphonse wondered about Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye. They were headed to Central command, to see who in the military was still on their side. Maybe Al should go help them, or try and see what was going to happen to Edward's State Alchemist status. Greed most likely wasn't going to come back under the Colonel's command.

Al took a last glance around Dr. Knox's house, and this time, at the doctor himself. He was exhausted, and right now, wouldn't be able to handle three injured teenagers who wanted to murder each other.

While the Colonel and the Lieutenant could probably use Al's help, Dr, Knox needed it more. Ling and Lan Fan needed to recover as soon as possible.

* * *

"I'll do it in a couple of weeks. I need you by my side now, and we need the doctor to be unoccupied," Roy cringed thinking about what he had said earlier to Riza, agreeing to burn her again. He detested thinking about hurting Riza again.

She was now behind the wheel again, fully in uniform and looking calm as ever. The fear that had taken her over back in the apartment was gone now, replaced by the unexpressive mask she wore as his bodyguard.

How did Riza do it? How did she remain in one piece as the entire world came crumbling down around her? How could she keep the recent tragedies from affecting her? Roy was smart, cunning, and an excellent liar, but with everything that had happened, he had become an open book. He had _sobbed_ at the sight of Riza's tattoo, the newest chapter of this never-ending nightmare.

Was he really ready to storm into Central Command and get the information he needed without giving himself away? He had held on after Hughes, and he managed to pull himself for Edward, but now he had to hurt Riza again. It almost felt like Ishval again. Each day he walked into a deeper circle of Hell.

The car approached the command center, but Riza pulled over to the curb at least a block before they should have stopped, "What are you doing?"

"Roy, I know how you feel right now," Riza's mahogany eyes met his inky black ones, and she continued, "I know how scared you are. I know the guilt you feel. I know how much you think Edward's situation is your fault.

"I feel the exact thing, Roy," Her voice cracked, and Roy could again see behind the mask, "But I want you to remember that if you let that feeling consume you, you won't be able to reach your goal. Right now, we need to do this, and we need to focus on getting Edward back from that homunculus. I know I can't fail. That's how I seem in control of myself."

Roy kept staring at her, shocked by the sudden outburst. For the first time in a long time, Roy felt as if he completely understood Riza Hawkeye. She was falling apart just as much as he was. She was just better at hiding it.

As thoughts clicked into place in his head, Roy leaned over and hugged the woman beside him. Riza initially jerked back, but soon wrapped her own arms around Roy, "You always know how to talk to me," he murmured. Riza was completely right. Roy needed to piece himself back together for Edward's sake. He needed to focus his energy on making sure the kid came back alive.

"We've been together long enough for me to know that," Riza mumbled back, and pulled out of the hug. She then sat up, and started the car again. They had to move forward again. They had to keep going so they could save Edward, and fix the mess they left behind. He couldn't become as much of a mess now as he had when Hughes died. Because Edward wasn't dead. Edward was still alive and needed his help.

"Can you wait outside the command center for me? In case anything happens, you can still get out alive," Roy took a deep breath and his resolve begin to return. He had stood back and allowed things to happen for far too long. Riza's speech allowed him to collect himself yet again.

"No, sir," came Riza's blunt reply, the corners of her mouth tilting upward.

"That was an order," Roy replied futilely.

"One that I cannot obey."

"Damn, you're stubborn," Roy began smiling as well. He hadn't realized how much he missed their usual banter. It was making him feel more and more like himself again.

"That's something you've always known, sir," Riza was correct yet again. Roy sighed.

"Alright. Will you stay outside if I promise to come back?" He asked again, looking at his Lieutenant with a smile.

She pondered the question for a brief second, but replied quickly, "Yes. Happy hunting, sir," She parked the car, and saluted him as he got out and walked into the imposing command center.

Roy stole one last look at Riza, and she gave him a reassuring smile. He had to get through with this. He had to be strong to get Edward back. He turned back toward the building and took a deep breath.

Roy remembered his foster mother, how she had taught him everything he knew about reading and manipulating people. Madame Christmas was the genius who had helped Roy cultivate his infamous persona. Now he needed to slip back into it and complete this mission. With newfound determination and the idea of Riza waiting for him outside, Roy cleared his mind of everything other than his quest to get information. Thinking about the past would only trip him up.

His first stop was by General Raven's office. The jolly gray-haired man had easily taken a liking to Roy. Putting on a smile and cracking a few jokes with the General, and the man already invited Roy to walk with him.

The two exchanged pleasantries as they glided down the hall to the General's meeting. The first step to getting information out of anyone was to lure the target into a false sense of security.

Now that the formalities were over with, Roy could begin asking the real questions. The ones he had carefully prepared and thought of before Al had come rushing in for help all those hours ago.

"I've been hearing some interesting rumors around Central lately," Roy tried to seem nonchalant while saying the words. Betraying any other emotion than calm politeness would ruin the operation. And cripple their plans in saving Edward.

"Have you now? What rumors, Colonel Mustang?" The General asked, still believing Roy had nothing to hide.

"Oh, just the usual drivel," Roy continued, "The Elrics blew up a building downtown, Scar was seen petting a cat in the warehouse district…" Roy prayed to whatever God would listen that he could keep his act together, "... Fϋhrer Bradley is a homunculus," he immediately laughed. Possibly too soon.

Raven soon let out a laugh, and opened the door to a room full of stone-faced Generals, "Why don't you tell the others your little 'joke', Mustang?"

Suddenly, Roy's courage and determination dissipated.

* * *

"Ugh, Envy, where are you taking me?" Greed whined to his strangely silent companion, "Father specifically asked me to guard the tunnels, not come into Central Command with you."

"Well you guarded the tunnels for a couple hours, and now Father thinks I should introduce you to Wrath," Envy rolled its eyes, shifting into a soldier.

Greed humphed, crossing his arms. Father and Envy were starting to get on his nerves. Or maybe it was the Fullmetal kid's nerves rubbing off on him. Greed couldn't tell. The little asshole had also become unnervingly quiet. Maybe Greed was annoyed at the kid. He grunted again in displeasure as he thought about it. Well whatever was bugging whoever, it needed to stop.

Greed was not only pissed off, but tired. He didn't feel like arguing with other homunculi. He just wanted to be able to relax and stop following bullshit commands that others gave him.

The two homunculi stopped before a doorway, and Envy whirled around, hands on its hips, "I expect you to be able to keep that little brat under control, here," It growled, face turning back into the teenage one it preferred.

"Relax, he's been quiet for the past few hours," Greed leaned against the wall, "He's a nuisance, not a threat."

"He shouldn't even be that much," Envy growled, eliciting an over-dramatic eye roll from Greed.

"I can handle the Fullmetal kid. And I can handle Wrath too," Greed decided in that moment that he hated Envy. It was stupid, obnoxious, and had terrible fashion sense.

Envy reached for the door, but a strangled yell was heard through the wood. It sounded somehow familiar to Greed, and even the Fullmetal kid perked up. Envy shrugged and opened the door fully, shifting completely into its normal form.

"I brought Greed to talk," Envy looked down at the chair in front of Bradley, and saw a hunched-over Colonel Mustang. So that's why the yell was familiar… As soon as the Colonel processed what Envy had said, he gasped, and turned around with surprising speed.

Greed walked in, and smirked at the Colonel. The guy had been annoying as hell down in Father's room, and seeing his face wracked with fear and anger made Greed want to laugh. But Greed also caught hints of a different emotion. Guilt? Was the Fullmetal kid getting to him again?

The door slammed shut, Envy leaving the three others alone. Greed then looked upon the face of Führer King Bradley. So this was Wrath. The old homunculus glanced down at Greed, and the corners of his mustache twitched downward. "So Father decided to turn one of our most valuable sacrifices into his newest homunculus," his tone was somewhat amused, but Greed caught hints of distaste and annoyance.

Wrath's displeasure wasn't new; the other homunculi and even Father looked to Greed in the same way. The little brat had screwed everything up by absorbing the philosopher's stone. All Greed wanted at this moment was to be looked at like he was actually wanted in a room.

"A warm hello to you too," Greed rolled his eyes and sauntered to the chair next to Mustang.

"I was just getting done talking to the Colonel about his meddling around. I was about to call Envy to bring Edward Elric in here, but I see now that he has been taken care of," Wrath remained impassive, his gaze scrutinizing Greed's automail.

"I guess now we have to discuss your future, Greed," Bradley sat down and crossed his arms, "The best course of action would be for you to keep up your facade as the Fullmetal Alchemist. That position allows me to send you anywhere in the country I need you to be, and an excuse to be close," Bradley's calculating gaze met Greed's quizzical one. Greed was glad he wouldn't be guarding tunnels for the rest of eternity, but he was also skeptical of Wrath's motives. Being under the direct control of the King didn't sound the most appealing either.

As Greed thought on what Wrath told him, he felt the Fullmetal kid scheming of his own. The brat hadn't tried anything yet, but Greed was sure he would sooner or later. There was no other explanation for his silence.

"You will be transferred directly under my command, and will work alongside Lieutenant Hawkeye," Edward gasped, and settled in to listen more intently. If Greed remembered correctly, Hawkeye was the woman Mustang had with him in the basement. Out of the corner of his eye, Greed saw Mustang's hands clutch the arms of his chair. The small action confirmed Greed's theory. She was Mustang's hostage.

The Colonel was silent, staring downward, looking like he wanted to incinerate Wrath. His face vacillated between anger and desperation as he listened to Wrath's words. But he also looked as if he was planning something.

"And Greed, I'm going to need you to keep an eye on Alphonse Elric. To the world, the two of you are still brothers, and _he_ still a valuable sacrifice. If you can't do that, I'll have to go through the trouble of procuring another hostage," Wrath was awful at hiding the fact that he disliked Greed. Even Colonel Mustang was picking up on it.

The old man annoyed Greed too. But as arrogant as the bastard was, Greed knew he had to do whatever Wrath told him.

"Whatever," Greed replied, thinking of what he wanted to do instead of serving the Führer. The Elric kid was pretty high up in the military, so he likely also had a large bank account to show for it. Greed decided to buy himself some new clothes as soon as possible. But he needed something bigger to do in the long term.

"You can allow Alphonse to keep searching for a philosopher's stone, but if he interferes with our affairs again, there will be consequences for the both of you," Wrath glared at Greed in his attempt to be intimidating, but Greed's interest was elsewhere. A philosopher's stone? What would the kid need with that? Edward also seemed unphased. What consequence could they receive that was worse than this?

"Got it, Wrath," Greed rested his head on his fist, letting his indifference show.

"No," Wrath replied, standing up," I don't think you do," he walked closer to Greed, "You see, you can be taken out and replaced at any time, Greed. We can destroy that body of yours and implant the stone into new ones until you finally comply," The Führer was inches away from Greed's face, "And each time, you'll have no memories of the last, nothing to hold on to, nobody to help you out."

Wrath's eye reflected light streaming in from the window, and a blurry memory flashed through Greed's mind. It was Wrath, in someplace dark, plunging a fourth sword into Greed's chest. The image faded as quickly as it came, chilling Greed to the core, and confirming that the older homunculus held no empty threats.

Greed regained his composure, and Wrath continued, a curious look now on his face, "And as for Edward Elric, he isn't fully integrated yet is he?" Greed's eyes widened again, as did Edward's. Greed looked over at Colonel Mustang, whose face had remained shocked and afraid.

"It isn't rare for a new homunculus to take some time integrating its host, but you need to make sure the kid doesn't cause any more problems than he already has," Wrath stepped back behind his desk, "Edward," he now addressed the young alchemist inside Greed, "I would hate for something to happen to that friend of yours… What was her name again?"

Ed immediately jumped up, catching Greed by surprise and gaining momentary control. Greed's eyes flashed back to their violet color, and he glared at the kid inside.

"Ah, yes," Wrath smirked, "Miss Rockbell."

" _That sick bastard!_ " Ed shouted, " _If he lays one hand on Winry, I'm going to kill him!_ " Greed was tired and annoyed by all of today's events, and he just wanted a minute of peace if that wasn't too much to ask. That was probably why he was so weak right now.

"The kid isn't a problem right now, Wrath," Greed growled, then said to Edward, " _I will kill her with my own two hands if you don't shut up and be quiet,_ " Ed's face contorted into an even more enraged expression, and he lashed out at Greed with all he could. Greed almost stumbled, knocked backward by the kid's power.

But Edward kept yelling and fighting back until Greed realized that Edward had control over his mouth again.

"Bradley, you're a sick bastard, and you're the one who's gonna be sorry if you so much as look at Winry again!" Ed screamed, overwhelming Greed.

"Edward!" Colonel Mustang jumped up, joining the other two.

"You're in no position threatening me," Wrath still looked somewhat amused, "Killing you and the Rockbell girl won't be too difficult, and if you keep this nonsense up, I won't regret doing it," Wrath glared at Edward until Greed tackled the kid back down and regained control.

The Colonel deflated once more at seeing Greed's violet eyes replace Ed's gold ones. Why was the Colonel even here? All he was doing was staring and listening to the conversation. Greed would have to deal with that obnoxious bastard after finishing this conversation with Wrath. Speaking of him...

Wrath's smirk was painfully obvious, even under his thick mustache, "I told you it might be a volatile few days, Greed. But now at least Fullmetal has some incentive to stay complacent," Wrath was condescending Greed again, making Greed long even more for sleep.

" _Yeah, Fullmetal, complacent_ ," Ed was still seething and on the verge of breaking through again.

"You have nothing to worry about," Greed spat, "Are we done here?"

"Just about," Wrath sat back down.

Without a word, Greed stalked over to the door and opened it wide. " _Where are you going?_ " Ed asked, sounding equal parts angry and curious.

" _Fuck off, kid_ ," Greed wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but he knew that he was getting away from Wrath, Envy, and Colonel Mustang until he had collected his thoughts and could do what he wanted without being looked down upon.

* * *

Lieutenant Hawkeye waited anxiously outside the Central Command center for Roy to come back. It had been hours already, and she just wanted to see him come back unhurt.

She needed to see that he was alright with her own eyes, as visions of the worst possible scenarios danced through her head. The team had just been split up; which could mean only two things.

One: The homunculi knew their team was responsible for the operations with Barry the Chopper and Gluttony and needed them apart to stop causing trouble.

Two: A team of soldiers couldn't function without a commanding officer. And Roy hadn't yet exited the Command Center. He might never exit the Command Center…

Riza tried to shake all those nagging thoughts out of her head. Roy had to be coming back. He always did.

If he didn't, Riza didn't know what she would do with herself in that situation. She needed him, in more ways than just to help bring Edward back or to burn her tattoo off. She needed to see him again, to make sure that she could also continue on with life, and give her strength. She may be his pillar to lean on, but he was hers as well.

Riza stood at her post, stalwart, waiting. And she couldn't leave until she saw her Colonel safe again.

Almost an hour after she got her orders to work directly under the Führer, the front doors of the fortress opened, and she almost jogged to meet the figure who came out. But it wasn't Roy.

"Edward?"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Again, I am super sorry for the two week wait between updates, but realistically, this might happen more often. Last week I had to finish this research paper that was 30% of my quarter grade, and I was honestly just dead after that.

This chapter is a bit on the longer side with some POVs I haven't done before, so hopefully that helps make up for it. The chapter is also mainly setting things up, getting characters where they need to be, and getting their feelings under control for the next little arc. I realized that all of the chapters so far have taken place within the past 2-ish days, in the story timeline, so the next few will maybe go a bit faster.

Again, thank you guys so much for leaving reviews, and just sticking with this story! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Edward?" Ed heard a voice call out. Greed looked groaned as Ed recognized Lieutenant Hawkeye.

Greed stalked past the Lieutenant, leaving her near the entrance to the command center. As Greed fumed, he didn't notice Hawkeye turn to follow him.

"Ed," She called out again, and when met with no reply, "Greed…" The homunculus acknowledged that. He spun around, over-exaggerating his movements and stopping Hawkeye in her tracks. This homunculus was acting more like a petulant child than an immortal monster.

"Finally, someone gets it right," he almost growled, and was met by Hawkeye raising her eyebrows. Ed chuckled at her take-no-shit attitude. Greed hrmphed internally, causing Ed to let out another snicker.

"What do you want, lady?" Greed asked the Lieutenant, glancing at the streets behind her.

"Well..." Hawkeye faltered. A rare unsure expression crossed her face, and Greed rolled his eyes again. Ed understood that the homunculus had been having a hard day. Almost everybody hated him; even his own kind. But that didn't mean Greed had to take it out on the Lieutenant.

" _Hey,"_ Ed warned, " _Just because you're having a bad day doesn't mean you need to act like a whiny child."_

 _"I haven't seen you being particularly cheerful either, kid,"_ Greed wasn't wrong. And Ed had always been very vocal about his emotions. But… Maybe Ed just didn't want Greed being mean to Hawkeye. She didn't deserve to hear scathing words come out of the mouth of someone she trusted. None of them did. Not Al, not even Mustang.

" _The Lieutenant hasn't said anything wrong,"_ Ed tried to explain things so that even Greed would understand and possibly comply.

Greed didn't reply, and turned back to Hawkeye, "As much as I would just love to stand around hear and listen to you try and form a coherent sentence, I have to go."

 _"Wow, Greed. Thanks for listening to me."_

"Wait, E- I mean Greed," Hawkeye had pulled herself together and now and her speech became more calculated, "I just want to know something, Greed. Is Edward Elric still alive?"

 _"Yes."_

"I am the one in control of this body. It is mine. His soul is mine. And everything the brat owned is mine," Greed began on one of his tirades.

"I didn't ask whether or not he was under your control, Greed. I want to know if Edward Elric is still alive," Hawkeye's gaze turned cold.

"I gave you my answer. Figure it out," Greed turned again, and began walking into the street. The Lieutenant let him leave this time. She had had a hard past couple of days, and the entire thing was Ed's fault. While the Lieutenant wasn't one to abandon people, her own personal situation was getting rough. Based off of what Ed hear from Bradley, she was a hostage now working directly under the Führer. Ed gasped as he realized that also meant that she'd be working alongside Greed.

" _Greed, you remember what Wrath said about her, right? She's also working for him now, meaning you're going to have to act civil in the future,_ " Ed crossed his arms at the angered homunculus, who trudged along the street. When met with no response, he changed his tactic, " _Where are we going?_ "

" _Why do you even care?_ " Greed snarled back, and Ed wasn't sure which comment the homunculus was addressing.

" _I care because this is my body you're walking around in, and I can't have you terrorizing the city while wearing my face,_ " Ed shot back.

" _I'm not going to go terrorize the city. I wouldn't gain anything from terrorizing the city right now. I just want some time away from my obnoxious brothers and these military assholes,_ " Was Greed actually being… honest? It surprised Ed enough that the homunculus had actually replied, but the fact that Greed might have told the truth was surprising.

" _Oh… okay then,_ " Ed replied.

" _Don't look so surprised, kid, I don't tell lies,"_ Greed had caught on to Ed's obvious bewilderment, " _Do you know a place we can get away from these assholes?"_ Was Greed actually asking him for help?

" _Yeah, uh, just go back underground,"_ To be honest, Ed didn't know Central City very well. He only occasionally came to the city in order to check in with Mustang and use their expansive library. He spent most of his time travelling around Amestris with Al.

Greed groaned at Ed's suggestion, and continued trudging down the street. "That's right," Ed thought, "Earlier he was practically jumping for joy once he got out of tunnel watch."

" _Kid, forgot I ever talked to you and go back to integrating into the stone,_ " Greed's annoyance was back, and yet again the foremost emotion Greed was feeling. And whatever progress Ed had made with talking to the homunculus had dissipated.

* * *

He had come in to Central Command head held high, the uplifting words of his Lieutenant still ringing in his brain. But now, Roy Mustang was once again doubting himself as he exited.

He certainly had an excuse- Bradley knew exactly which strings to pull, and had tugged until Roy started unravelling. Even before the purposefully planned entrance of Greed, Führer Bradley- Wrath, now- had been sitting there and smirking as he broke Roy's Team up into small pieces.

Falman was going up North, Fuery south, Breda west, and Riza… He had allowed Riza to be taken hostage by the Führer himself. He not only had endangered every single member of the team with his reckless actions against the homunculi, but he had also rendered himself similarly useless.

Where would he be without Falman's walking encyclopedia of a brain. How could he carry out an operation without Fuery's knowledge and experience with radios and listening devices? What would he do when he couldn't send Breda out to gather intel. And who would be there for him without Riza? She was not just his loyal bodyguard. She was the one thing that kept him from imploding.

Cutting Roy off from his team was probably the smartest thing Bradley could have done. Because now there was almost nobody for the Colonel to turn to. His push for the top had only been effective with people supporting him from below, and now Roy was freefalling.

And the worst part was, that he had blown his chance of finding Maes Hughes' murderer.

In his last ditch attempt a confidence, Bradley had let him have one question. And he wasted it. The only information he gained was that Bradley hadn't killed Roy's best friend. It was one of the other 50 million people who lived in Amestris.

The loss of Hughes had been the original crack in Roy's foundation. His best friend of ten years had been murdered for absolutely no reason, and there wasn't even a culprit to blame. That was the case that had kept Roy working day and night to solve, but just couldn't. With Edward, and even the rest of the team, Roy knew exactly what had happened and who had done it. But Hughes could have been killed by anyone. Yes, the homunculi were the likely candidates, but ultimately Maes Hughes had been shot. Anyone with access to a gun could have done it.

And the rest of Roy's team, so soon after Hughes, may also meet the same fate. Riza was their only hostage. The others were just scattered to war zones on each side of the country.

So Roy just felt almost frantic s he exited the command center. he had to get to them before they left. He had to find some way to stay in contact with them before it was too late.

Roy stepped outside, and turned to where the car was parked, expecting to see Riza standing by her post. Instead, he saw an empty car and a deserted street. _No… No no no…_

The worst possible scenarios danced through Roy's head, but his mind won over in the end. The homunculi wouldn't kill Riza. They needed her as their hostage. She was the only one who could keep Roy completely in check.

So she had to be somewhere around here…

Sure enough, a figure turned a corner to Roy's left and walked into view. Riza's eyes were downcast, and she kept fidgeting with her back holster. Normally, she wouldn't show any sign of her discomfort or distress, so she must have found out already.

"Lieutenant," Roy called out, causing her head to snap up and her back to stand rigid.

"Sir," Her eyes widened as she realized who had called, and her expression softened. She picked up her pace and quickly regained her place in front of him, "Colonel…" She began, but stopped to think. Instead of saying anything, she opened to car door and beckoned Roy inside. Her face was still pensive and concentrated by the time they both got settled, so Roy broke the silence.

"I know, Riza, about the transfer," Now it was Roy's turn to look at the ground, "I'm sorry I put you in danger again," The only thing Roy really could do was apologize. It was his fault she was a hostage. It was his fault she could die from this.

"That is nonsense and you know it," Her voice was equally as soft as his was, and equally full of emotion, "I followed you out of my own volition and I knew the risks going in," Her eyes stayed glued to her hands on the steering wheel.

"I felt like I needed to apologize though, Riza," Roy looked at her, noticing a lock of hair escaping her clip, "I'm the one responsible for this fiasco. And Wrath took it upon himself to keep me from causing another one," He looked at her eyes, the way her light lashes framed her heavy eyelids.

"Well stop apologizing. That's not going to help with anything at this point in time," Riza's slender fingers rubbed the forearm where Greed had cut her earlier, "And stop looking at me like that, Roy," She turned to him finally.

"Like what?" He was taken aback.

"Like this is the last time you'll ever see me," Her mahogany eyes reflected fleck of amber in the light, "Like you're trying to memorize my face so you won't forget it. We're getting through this." Was that really what he was doing?

"And don't apologize for that either."

"Alright," Roy replied quietly, already feeling better, "So what is there to do now?"

"I guess we meet back up with Alphonse and the others and come up with a plan before they leave," Riza looked out the front window, as if she could see the team from where she was.

"You're right. We need to keep moving and get Edward back," It was then that Roy realized he needed to stop with the self-deprecation and focus on more important things.

The team was splitting up, yes. But they could still find a way to function. And hearing Riza tell him she would be alright eased the logical side of Roy's mind slightly. This was First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Roy's team they were talking about. Some of the most capable people in the world, who would find a way.

This situation was almost like when Hughes had died. Roy had been consumed with guilt, with pain, with rage, to the point where he could barely even function. But then he realized he couldn't accomplish anything in that state. Seeing Riza now, unharmed, even after the initial shock of hearing of her transfer, and realizing the team was still all in Central was the difference between Roy's conscience when he entered central command versus now.

Before, everything had been uncertain. He was scared and worried about Ed's safety. He had no clue how his confrontation with Raven would go. And in the Command Center, all he was thinking about was the worst possible scenarios. He didn't realize think, or realize how much he still had left. Now, he had assurances and hope. And this time, it wouldn't be taken away.

"I believe we owe Alphonse a visit, especially after seeing Greed, or Ed, or whoever again," Riza started the car, and Roy cast her a curious glance.

"Did you see him too?"

"I saw, Greed, yes. But I don't know about Edward," Riza replied to her superior, as if prompting him to relinquish any information he had gathered as well.

"In Bradley's office, Ed broke through again. Greed seemed pissed and distracted, and Bradley got the shrimp mad enough to scream for a few seconds," Roy held the vision of Ed's breakthrough in his head as he recounted the story to Riza.

Down in Father's chambers, seeing the ultimate shield spread over Ed's face had been something worthy of Roy's nightmares. He had never met this "Greed" homunculus before, and honestly didn't know if the shield was a permanent addition. Seeing Ed's normal face again after that day's events relieved Roy infinitely. And hearing Ed's voice again reminded him that they still had a fighting chance.

"So Ed is really alright?" Riza's voice had increased in excitement, "Greed wouldn't give me a straight answer, but I'm glad my suspicions were proven correct," the lightest smile played on her lips.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that Ed is alright, but he's still alive and fighting."

"So that's why Greed was acting so annoyed," Riza mused, "He trudged off from me as soon as he could, and had the same look on his face that Ed does whenever he has to spend more than three hours with you," Riza's smile spread into a slight smirk.

"Of course it's the same look. He has the exact same face as before," the banter began again, slowly pulling the two soldiers back into their routine.

"You make a good point, sir," Riza chuckled, and looked out the window as they drove farther away from the command center.

They would be able to get Ed back. There was still a fighting chance, and Roy was not going to give that up.

* * *

Envy entered the dimly lit basement, and made its way across to where Father was sitting. The homunculus flipped its long hair behind it and grunted in displeasure after failing to see Greed.

"Where'd Greed run off to?" It asked, sitting down on one of the stone slabs surrounding Father's chair in the center of the room.

"Did you not keep an eye on him after his talk with Wrath?" Father asked, causing Envy's eyes to widen. How could Father blame Envy for everything Greed did? All Envy had been ordered to do was bring Greed up to chat with Wrath.

"Envy, your new brother concerns me greatly," Father thought out loud, as if it was a new idea.

"He concerns all of us. Greed and that Fullmetal brat could be the worst combination anyone could ever have thought of," Envy crossed its arms.

"That child should have known better than to interfere with something beyond his control," Father began again, "Now we have one less sacrifice candidate to work with. Only Alphonse Elric, Izumi Curtis, Van Hohenheim, and possibly Colonel Mustang," Father had never been one to internalize all of his thoughts. Why should he? His opinions were possibly the most important in the entire room, and were unclouded by foolish human desires or weaknesses. His thoughts were something everyone would benefit from hearing.

And Edward Elric had indeed ruined many of Father's plans. By jumping in front of his friend, he had ruined the chance of him becoming a sacrifice candidate. He was one of the most promising ones, and he was about to be integrated into a philosopher's stone.

Then, there was Greed. Envy had disliked Greed for centuries, and the animosity between the two homunculi was not going away anytime soon. Father had always been slightly more patient, but even is patience could wear thin. Seeing Greed's troublesome nature combined with that of Edward Elric could only result in more problems.

"That little pipsqueak just _had_ to go mess up our plan, didn't he?" Envy glared at the floor in disgust, "And not only that, but he had to be injected with _Greed_. That homunculus has always been too uncontrollable. You remember Dublith, and before that, Lexenburg. Both versions of Greed so far have just been liabilities."

Greed's sin was just problematic by nature. The greed of someone like Father was practically destined to act up. As much as Envy admired its Father, the homunculus had to admit that Father's plans were very large, and very volatile.

"Hell, we may have lost the brat already," Envy snarled, "He seems to hate us after only a day of contact. The Fullmetal pipsqueak is breaking free at the worst possible times. And to top off the cake, I think Greed is starting his little temper tantrums."

"Envy, we must not talk negatively about him yet. I still have faith in him to return to us. Where else could he possibly go?" Father mused as he looked down upon Envy.

"I'm still pissed about this entire thing," Envy growled, and stood up to kick a rock across the room.

"Envy, I am not the happiest about the current situation either, but you need to understand that as much animosity as we feel toward Greed, he could still be of use. We need him to work under Wrath as Edward Elric to possibly prompt more State Alchemists to open the gate," Father reprimanded his child, causing Envy to sit back down.

"Fine," Envy sighed, "I'll go find him."

"I expect good work from you, my child."

* * *

May Chang blinked her eyes open, the fluorescent bulb from the ceiling light seeming as bright as the sun. She propped herself up using her elbows, but almost immediately collapsed back down.

"Wait a second," She heard a strange voice call from somewhere on her left, "You shouldn't get up too fast! The doctor said you need some time to heal!" May blinked again, trying to recognize who was speaking.

The boy's voice sounded strange, with a metallic twang. She didn't know anyone like that. And the voice was also lacking a sense of chi beneath it.

May strained and turned to the side, where an intimidatingly large suit of armor had just stood up. Suit of armor….

As her head stopped spinning, she realized where she had seen this suit of armor before. It had been down in that awful underground room with the bad chi. It had kidnapped Xiao May. And it had been fighting Scar with the Fullmetal Alchemist.

The Fullmetal Alchemist who had attacked her and Scar.

May sat up again, ignoring the sharp pain in her head. She needed to get out of there before these people tried to hurt her or Mr. Scar again.

May pulled out a knife, and the armor let out an alarmed gasp, "Wait, you need to rest! You have a concussion!" It exclaimed, concern evident in its voice. Concern? Well, if May was concussed, she certainly could be imagining things like concern from a metal behemoth.

May kept the knife tight in her grip, then moved to shove her warm blanket off of her legs. That was also strange; why would her adversaries put her in a bed with such a soft cover? As May began moving her legs, her arms gave out from under her, and she fell back into her pillow.

"I'm really sorry," the armor started talking again, "I tried to warn you that you're pretty hurt right now," it moved to her side, and placed the blanket back over May's small frame. Xiao May curled up next to her friend, and the armor chuckled.

May wondered if she was imagining things. Cognitive disorientation was a common symptom of concussion. The armor was being too nice to her for it to have been the same suit she fought earlier. She needed to know who this was, and what he wanted with her.

"What… what's going on…" May mustered, keeping her head on the pillow.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I should have told you earlier," The armor rubbed the back of its head sheepishly, "You got pretty injured in that fight down below, so we brought you back here to heal."

"Why?" They had been enemies. It didn't make sense for him to care about her wellbeing.

"I told you. You looked pretty hurt, and I couldn't just leave you down there with those freaks," the armor replied, as if it were obvious.

"But… before that, I fought you," May prompted, a confused expression on her face.

"That doesn't matter much. You're still a person, and you didn't deserve to be left alone down there," It almost seemed as if the intensity of the armored boy's eyes had become greater.

"Th- thank you," May replied, suddenly becoming very flustered. Not many people would save a complete stranger and help nurse them back to health.

"It's honestly not that huge of a deal, May," The armor's voice had become light and joking again.

"Wait… How do you know my name, Mr. Armor?" May asked, realizing that she knew almost nothing about her savior.

"Oh, um, some of the other guys from Xing, uh, recognized you," He glanced at the open doorway.

"Others from Xing?" May's eyes widened. None of her other clansmen had crossed the desert with her. There shouldn't be anyone else here from Xing. Unless… "What are their names?" It couldn't be someone from a different clan. Immortality had been _her_ idea.

"That's uh, not important," The Armored Boy began unconsciously messing with the long strand of 'hair' on his helmet. He really was bad at lying.

"Mr. Armor, I need to know who they were," May's head hurt as she raised her voice, and Xiao May lifted her small panda head.

The Armored Boy mumbled something, but was soon reprimanded by May. He would tell her what she needed to hear or else he would be busy bandaging up knife wounds.

"Ling Yao… and Lan Fan…" He glanced back at the door, as if he were waiting for the prince in question to pop in at any second.

May gasped, and she shot up from her laying position. _No! Ling can't be here!_ She almost screamed, only held back by the splitting pain in her head. Her awful half-brother couldn't be searching for a stone as well. He had a large, influential clan that could possibly fight their way to the throne. The Chang Clan had almost nothing compared to the Yao; they needed the secret to immortality more than the Yao clan.

"May, please don't hurt yourself any further!" The Armored Boy was even closer by her side now, holding his hands out as if to catch her from falling down.

"Don't interfere with this, Mr. Armor!" May took out a second dagger as Xiao May hopped onto her shoulder, "They would kill me and my entire clan!" May's head throbbed as she spoke.

"I stopped Lan Fan and Ling from killing you earlier. They aren't a threat to your safety," He rearranged the pillows behind May so she would have an easier time laying back down. But May couldn't just lay down when two Yao clansmen were nearby. They were her sworn enemies, not only for being in a different clan, but for also seeking immortality out in Amestris.

"You don't understand what's going on. Please do not interfere with the affairs of Xing any further," May's vision spiraled and she felt dizzy. But she wouldn't let her injuries stop her.

"I promise you, May, they aren't a threat. Lan Fan lost her arm, and Ling is probably in worse condition than you," He spoke again, and May's mind reeled. So they had been severely injured in the fight with those monsters too, "And I will make sure neither of them try anything against you, alright?"

The sincerity in his voice had returned, and May found herself yet again believing in the suit of armor. He had saved her, after all. May realized how ungrateful she must have sounded. And she also realized that she still did not know anything about her mysterious savior.

"Thank you, Mr. Armor," She bowed her head in a form of Xingese respect.

"There is no need to thank me. And you can also stop calling me Mr. Armor," He looked into May's eyes with his bright red ones, "I'm Alphonse Elric. I'm the younger brother of Edward Elric, remember, the alchemist you fought," Alphonse looked down again.

"His rotten chi was not the same as any other normal person in this country," May's face hardened.

"That's because… Well, it's a long story, but that wasn't exactly Edward," Alphonse rubbed the back of his helmet again. May raised her brows, as if to ask him for more information, "You remember when you first arrived, right?" Alphonse's voice became careful and concerned.

May nodded to his question, and he kept going, "Well, when you saw that stone enter him, he became possessed by a creature called a homunculus," He looked at May to make sure she was following, "Now an entity named Greed has taken over his body. Down there, that monster with the black face was Greed."

"So, what happened to Edward now?" May asked, noticing how Alphonse shook slightly at the phrase 'monster with the black face'.

"As far as I know, Greed is controlling him into working for that man in white," Alphonse replied, clenching his fists.

May suddenly felt extremely sympathetic toward Alphonse, and reached out to touch his armor with one of her small hands, "I'm sorry, Alphonse," she tried to look up into his eyes- his real eyes, the ones behind the armor-, but she couldn't, "Are you going to take that off, Alphonse?"

That seemed to strike another chord with the boy, "It's a long story, but I don't have a body. Only my soul and this armor," May's eyes widened in shock. So was that why she didn't sense chi coming from him?

Based on Alphonse's strained reactions to her questions, May thought it best to talk about something more lighthearted, "So when you fix your body, you must look just like your older brother," She frowned at the thought. Edward had been… underwhelming, to say the least. He was short, hot-tempered, and just had an average-looking face. It was somewhat disappointing to envision Alphonse looking that way, since he had been her savior- her literal knight in shining armor.

"Hey!" Al gasped, "I don't look like him! I am much taller, and I don't have his mean looking face. I am also a gentleman, unlike Edward," Al stuck his imaginary nose in the air, and May began to blush.

Images of a human Alphonse crept into her mind, ones even more attractive than her imaginings of Edward. Alphonse had been so nice to her, so that had to show in his face.

"I, um, look forward to you getting your body back. I think you and Edward can work through this and accomplish your goals," May replied, possibly too enthusiastically, and Alphonse looked back at her.

"Wow, um, thanks," May was sure that if he had a face, he would be blushing too. Alphonse's voice was so expressive and alive.

"I-" May began to speak, but was cut off by the sound of a door opening, and footsteps approaching- many of them.

Alphonse stood up and looked back, as two Amestrian soldiers entered the room. The man and woman paused in front of the armor, and the woman smiled. May had no idea who these people were, and could only stand and watch as Al gasped at their presence.

The woman's companion, a man who looked half Xingese himself, walked over to where Alphonse stood, and looked at him with his midnight colored eyes.

"We have lots of new news to tell you, Alphonse," the man spoke, his voice full of so many different emotions that May had a difficult time discerning them. There was pain, there was rage, but above all that, there was determination

"Did you find anything about brother or the military?" Alphonse inquired, his voice a hopeful contrast from when he talked about his brother before.

"Come on, we have some planning to do."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N Happy Easter everybody! This time I have literally no excuse for the lateness except that this chapter just did not want to be written. Trying to write during class is also not the best idea... But I'm finally on spring break, so hopefully I'll have the next chapter in a week! And I also promise that my other ongoing story will be updated too (it's been over a month and I'm sorry).

I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter, and as always, don't be afraid to leave reviews!

* * *

Roy felt somewhat at ease for the first time in the past two days. The adrenaline had finally faded, and he finally felt as if he had some semblance of control over his mind and his emotions.

In the car with Riza, it had finally struck him that they were now in the aftermath. The main fight was over, and all the damage that could have been done had been done. He could stop being so fearful of losing another member of his team, or something even worse happening to Edward, but what worse thing could possibly happen? The kid was a homunculus now.

He could finally stop being so worried about another monster creeping up on him from behind and trying to take someone else away. Everyone _had_ been taken, but they remained alive, and they could damn well try and make this work.

The team could still find a way to function while spread across Amestris. They could work right under Bradley's nose, and he'd never even notice it.

This was Roy Mustang's team of specialists, damn it, and they couldn't be brought down so easily.

Roy was determined to get back on track, and fix his mistakes. It was his fault for leaving the child alone in that fight, and it was his fault Ed got swallowed and they had to enter Father's hellhole beneath Central. If Roy had thought things through, Edward might still be beside him.

Fullmetal may have been an obnoxious pipsqueak, but Roy cared about the boy; more than he would like to admit. And Edward Elric would not be brought down by a homunculus. Roy wouldn't be able to live with himself if that happened.

As the Colonel let his determination take charge over his guilt and pain, he noticed Riza standing taller as well. Roy knew Riza almost as well as himself, and he knew that whenever he was hurting, she was too. But seeing Roy be able to get back up, and keep moving forward inspired Riza to do the same thing. Getting through this for himself was important, but getting through this for her was imperative.

So Roy stopped at a telephone booth on his way back to Dr Knox's house, and he had called every member of team to come for a meeting. The team hadn't left Central yet, so they still had time to come up with a plan to stay in touch.

After the telephone, Riza drove them back to the house, where Roy would finally be able to talk to Alphonse without wanting to break down. Edward and Alphonse had been inseparable, so much so that the team had given Alphonse the honorary rank of major for accompanying Ed on all of his missions. Al was as much Roy's subordinate as any other team member was, and he deserved to be in on the plan.

But Alphonse was so much more than just a subordinate. He was a child whom Roy felt responsibility for, and respect toward. Edward's predicament had hit Alphonse harder than anybody else, and Roy needed to make things right for the kind, armored boy under his command. He needed to fix his mistake, and reunite Alphonse with his brother.

So Roy walked in the house with his one goal in mind, and stepped in front of Al, not quite knowing how to say what he wanted to.

So many thought were swimming in his head. From 'I'm sorry' to 'I need your help', Roy didn't know how to express his feelings. But he was too determined to let this slip him up. He needed to let Alphonse know that he was still fighting for Edward, and that he was going to get the Fullmetal Alchemist back.

"Come on, we have some planning to do," It was a simple phrase, really, but Roy tried hard to let down the indifferent mask he usually wore, and show Alphonse that he was sorry, and he was going to fix the tremendous, devastating mess he had left in his wake.

Alphonse stood up, surprised at first by the Colonel's change in demeanor. He had full right to be; Roy had barely spoken three sentences to the kid before he and Riza had left, but now, he was returning to his normal self. "What kind of planning?" Al's voice had lowered, and he glanced at the small Xingese girl in the bed next to him before looking at Roy with his intense red eyes.

"We need to move fast if we're going to get your brother back. The rest of the team is already on their way here," Roy replied as Riza slipped into the adjacent room to prepare for everyone's arrival.

"What did you find out from the military?" Al asked, in an emotion Roy couldn't quite pinpoint. Was it dread, anxiety, determination? Was it hope? Alphonse's armor kept him unable to show emotion, but looking into Al's burning red eyes, Roy knew it was a combination of the four, with determination fighting for dominance.

"I'll tell everyone once they're here," Roy replied, but realized it would be cruel to leave the boy in the dark for too long about his brother, "There is some bad news, but I also have some very good news about Edward. Just trust me and wait until we start the official meeting, Al" Roy gave his best attempt at a sympathetic look, but honestly didn't know how successful he was.

"...Alright, Colonel," Al nodded his head, then looked out the door, "Do you or the Lieutenant need any help setting up?"

There it was again- Alphonse had always been a kind and helpful child, but ever since Edward had been swallowed, he had been obsessed with helping the others. With Hawkeye's coat earlier, and by rescuing the two injured Xingese immigrants from the fight below Central, Alphonse had spent all of his energy focusing on other people.

In the past two days, Alphonse seemingly hadn't once done anything for himself, opting only to focus on the welfare of the others. Was this Al's coping mechanism? Was this his way of trying to atone for the guilt he felt about what happened to Edward?

"You've done more than enough already," Roy chose his words carefully. He needed to make sure Alphonse's contributions were recognized, but he couldn't let the child throw himself into any more work. He needed to rest, if not physically, then mentally, "Hawkeye sounds just about done in there, so I can finish up. You can stay here until the others come; we're going to need you then.

Al made a small noise, as if he were about to argue, but quickly stopped himself. Roy's concern was genuine, and Lieutenant Hawkeye had, in fact, sounded close to finished moving chairs around for everyone. "Okay, Colonel, just come get me when you need me there," Al sighed, then turned back to the small girl, who had witnessed the whole conversation with her large black eyes.

"We wouldn't be able to start without you," Roy smiled once more, then exited the room to help his Lieutenant.

He found Riza moving two fold-out chairs to the main dining table, and gave him a small smile when she heard his footsteps approach.

"I can't believe it's over," Roy almost whispered, eliciting a confused look from Riza.

"I thought the reason we were having this meeting was due to the fact that everything is far from over," she replied equally as softly.

"That was a really bad way to put it, wasn't it," Roy smirked as he helped her fold out the last chair at the table, "What I mean is that Bradley just did what he thinks will crush me. Edward has suffered what is possibly one of the worst tragedies known to man. But none of us are dead," Roy took a deep breath and continued.

"The homunculi did what they could, and we're all still alive and fighting. You and the team are alright, Edward is at least still in some control, and I have finally been able to realize how stupid I was acting before," he let out a small laugh, "I still feel that everything that happened is still my fault, and everyone has suffered because of it, but now I can focus on trying to fix my mistakes, and make sure I don't cause any more damage."

Riza stood for a moment in thought but her face soon melted into a small smile, "I'm glad you feel that way, sir," She made sure all the chairs were pushed into the table, and stood aside.

Almost as soon as she was done speaking, the doorbell rang. Roy opened the front entrance to the worried faces of Fuery, Breda, and Falman. A door closed somewhere else in the house, most likely Alphonse coming out of the Xingese girl's room to join their meeting.

As they were ushered inside, Riza took her seat next to the head of the table, the adjacent spot obviously reserved for Roy. Everyone else, including the younger Elric brother, chose their seats, their faces twisted with worry.

"So, uh… What's going to happen, boss?" Breda tentatively spoke first, a sandwich in hand.

"I know the lot of you got transferred just recently, but I'm not sure you understand completely why," Roy began. The men didn't know what happened to Edward, or exactly the scope of the threat they were facing.

Fuery raised his brows, his eyes growing even wider under his glasses. The rest of the men, excluding Riza, shared a confused look, prompting Roy to continue.

"The military, and King Bradley have caught on to the secret operations we have been undertaking recently, and he feels threatened," Roy began, pausing between sentences, "The corruption in the military goes deeper than we had originally thought, and even the Fuhrer is part of the problem," everyone shared shocked looks.

"Our current Fuhrer, King Bradley, is a homunculus named Wrath."

* * *

Alphonse let out a surprised noise, and instinctively covered the place his mouth would be if he had one. So it was true...

Their Fuhrer, the man who commanded the Amestrian military, who commanded his brother and this team of soldiers now, was confirmed as a homunculus.

King Bradley, a family man who enjoyed growing watermelons and gifting them to people.

The air in the room thickened, the men torn between yelling out and being rendered speechless by Colonel Mustang's confession. The Colonel took a deep breath and continued.

Mustang's version of the past two days' events was very abridged, and almost void of information on how he felt about the situation. The way he spoke, choosing his words slowly and carefully, however, told that story all on its own. Alphonse could tell it was hard for Colonel Mustang to talk about what had happened to Edward, but the way he looked down showed exactly the extent to which Mustang blamed himself.

"As of now," he took a deep breath, and stood up, "There are four homunculi we know of. Gluttony. Envy. Wrath…" Hawkeye closed her eyes in preparation of the name to come, and Alphonse wished he had eyes to close or ears to block; as if not hearing about Edward would reverse his condition.

"And Greed, or as you know him, Edward Elric."

Breda's sandwich fell apart on the floor.

Fuery fell out of his chair.

Falman's eyes opened wide.

"S- sir-" Breda stuttered, most likely on the verge of a heart attack. Mustang had dropped many secrets- many bombshells, really- onto the team that night, and Even though Alphonse knew many of them, even he thought his armor would have a heart attack.

Mustang cut Breda off by waving his hand in the air, but the team was suddenly staring at Alphonse.

"If Edward was a homunculus this entire time, why are we letting his brother in on our meetings?!" Falman exclaimed, almost knocking his own chair over in the process.

"That kid knows all of our secrets! How much has he already told the enemy?"

"How could we have let a homunculus and his slave into our ranks?!"

"Colonel, we need to get out of here!"

The men were frantic, all pointing fingers and yelling on top of each other. Al suddenly felt very self-conscious, and attempted to stutter a response. But it was too late, the team was on their feet, panicking.

"GET YOURSELVES TOGETHER AND SIT THE FUCK DOWN!" Mustang commanded, brimming with anger. All flailing in the room ceased.

"Alphonse Elric is and always has been on our side. Fullmetal was only turned into a homunculus hours ago. That's why I called this entire damn meeting," The Colonel ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"While we were down in the homunculi's lair, their Father turned Edward into a homunculus by putting a philosopher's stone in him. So now the kid is running around with some obnoxious demon possessing him," Mustang's description of Greed caused Al to chuckle, despite the despair of the situation.

"So… is it permanent?" Fuery ventured to ask.

"I don't know how to get the stone out, but Edward is fighting for control with the homunculus and he's broken through for a few moments at a time," Mustang's eyes looked far away, and it was hard to pinpoint the exact expression on his quickly regained his composure and continued with his story.

"But after we escaped, the Lieutenant and I went to Central command, where we had a chat with His Excellency, Wrath, and his new little cretin, Greed.

"You should all consider yourselves hostages, men. We're too much of a threat to Wrath together, so we're being split apart. Hawkeye is now working directly under King Bradley, alongside Greed. He's been told to keep an eye on you, and on that mechanic of Ed's," Al knew that if he had a mouth, it would be gasping for oxygen.

Not Winry…. Winry was their oldest friend, one Al thought of as a sister. And after the brothers burned their own house down, they had begun to think of Winry as home.

"He can't do that!" Al found himself yelling across the table, "Winry has nothing to do with this!" This was the last straw. The homunculi couldn't just take whatever they wanted, threaten whoever the felt like, and mess with innocent people. He, Edward, and Mustang's men had been very involved in this mess from the beginning, and they knew the risks going in. But Winry didn't. She was living her own life in Rush Valley, both physically and mentally separated from the danger in Central.

"I know, Alphonse," Mustang's voice was quiet, "But he is. If Greed doesn't manage to keep you and Edward under control, Winry is going to be in a lot of danger"

"Colonel, we need to stop them! We need to go out there and stop the homunculi, or get Winry out of the country! We need to keep her safe!" Al slammed his fist on the table.

"Alphonse," Lieutenant Hawkeye's smooth voice spoke out from beside the Colonel, "I agree that protecting Miss Rockbell is one of our top priorities, however, we need to go about this very rationally and carefully. Acting on a whim could put your friend in even more danger."

Al froze at that. Hawkeye was right. They couldn't do anything to Winry, they couldn't even tell her without risking Bradley finding out and retaliating.

"I… I understand, Lieutenant," Al nodded his head down.

"Don't worry, Alphonse. We'll keep her safe," Colonel Mustang's voice was sincere and resolute. "Now then…

"We need codes for phone communication. We need codes for written communication that will get past command's censorship. And we need a way to keep our communications going throughout the time you all are transferred," Mustang leaned forward in his chair, his chin resting on top of his hands.

There, in that moment, Alphonse saw the return of the Colonel; the brilliant strategist and manipulator who could get through anything. The stuttering, pale-faced shadow of this Colonel after Ed's immediate transformation was gone. And this time, he was here to stay.

Al smiled as the team switched gears like a well-oiled machine, and began discussing the new strategy. The flailing and silliness from earlier was gone, and the steel-faced soldiers sitting around the table began doing their jobs to the highest capacity.

As Alphonse was not an official member of the elite squad, he participated in the discussion, and helped come up with codes similar to those in his research notes. While Ed had a travelogue, Alphonse had invented a whole new alphabet for himself composed of random scribbles and symbols stolen from ancient texts. The new alphabet would definitely raise suspicion if seen by any officers, but it would be written with invisible ink over top of "love letters" to the Colonel and the others.

The telephone code, however, would be similar to the one Colonel Mustang used with "Elizabeth". The man's reputation as a womanizer may have annoyed Ed and Al before, but now Al had a newfound respect for the Colonel's habits.

Discussions about how the team was split up, and how each soldier would stay in contact lasted for almost two hours, at which point they were all joined by a limping Ling held up by Lan Fan. The Xingese prince opted to stay in Amestris and keep searching for his own philosopher's stone, but not without trying to help get Ed back.

With a growing number of allies, Al felt more confident as well. The growing threat of homunculi and the military, and even his own brother shook Al to his very core, but seeing the amount of people willing to help was amazing. Such support from others had never been quite as obvious, and the Elric brothers had made a point to go about their journey alone.

But now, they weren't alone; and they might have a chance at winning.

* * *

Greed sat in the cafe at the corner, angrily sipping a fruit smoothie. The waiters and waitresses had refused to serve him alcohol, due to the fact that Ed looked thirteen.

The internal monologue of the homunculus was just constant complaining as Ed laughed in the background. Greed's day had been almost as bad as Ed's, and he enjoyed seeing the monster become annoyed.

Maybe it was a good thing Ed was so…

" _Shit!"_ Ed yelled, alarming the homunculus.

" _What, you little shrimp?_ " Greed groaned, his drink almost gone.

Ed fumed quietly, and Greed turned back to the scene outside, pleased with himself. In the short couple of hours the two of them (or, was it one of them? Ed wasn't quite sure) had been wandering around Central, Greed had taken advantage of Ed's height sensitivity multiple times.

Much like the old Greed back in Dublith, this one acted like he was better than everyone else, and had the same snarky attitude. Dublith Greed had been somewhat decent to Ed and Al when they weren't fighting, and had a flair for dramatics. Only one of those traits hadn't transferred; quite possibly the most important one.

Ed and Greed fell into an uneasy balance, with both of them either ignoring the other, or annoying the hell out of the other as Ed had done before. Greed was in a petulant mood, so it was easy to get him riled up. The homunculus had moved past trying to force Ed's integration into the philosopher's stone for the moment, focusing instead on his other problems.

Both knew that the only reason the other homunculi looked down on Greed was because of his current home in Ed's body. The was no question about that. But the others still needed Greed to help them with their plans. They might still even need Ed as one of their human sacrifices. Edward wasn't sure if becoming a homunculus had disqualified him from his position as a sacrifice candidate, or if he would still be able to serve whatever purpose he was supposed to.

As Greed sat at the cafe, Ed saw a tall blonde man approach their table and pull a chair up.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Greed raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"What?" The man replied with a sarcastic smirk, "You mean you don't recognize me? I'm disappointed, Greed; my own brother doesn't care enough about me to know my face," At that comment, Ed immediately knew who it was.

"Envy," Greed's face was blank, and even Ed was having a hard time trying to decipher what Envy wanted now.

"It took you long enough to guess," Envy rolled its eyes and grabbed Greed's drink, "I hope you're ready to come back, Greed. Now that we've got that conversation with Wrath out of the way, we can finally start working together," Envy took the last gulp of the smoothie.

" _That bastard,"_ Greed growled internally, then to Envy, "I'm supposed to be working with Wrath and that obnoxious blonde woman, I think her name was Eagle or something."

Greed leaned back in his seat as Ed corrected, "That's First Lieutenant Hawkeye."

"Yeah, you start that a little later, but right now, Father and I want to talk to you," Envy relaxed in its own seat, "You seem to have gotten the idea in your mind that nobody wants or needs you."

"Well maybe if you even _tried_ to hide your obvious distaste…"

"Come on, Greed, you know we only hate that Fullmetal brat," Envy rested its head against a fist, "But now that you have him under your control, we have nothing to worry about," Envy's drawl sounded somewhat fake and vaguely threatening.

" _Oh please, Envy hates everyone and everything. It's not just me,_ " Ed rolled his eyes and sighed.

Greed ignored Ed and focused on the shapeshifter in front of him, "So are you saying that you're begging me to come back," Greed remained impassive, neither baiting the other homunculus on, nor trying to make it lose interest.

"I wouldn't say begging, but you belong back with us, with your _family._ "

"You guys didn't seem like a loving family a few hours ago," Greed was fighting harder now to keep his composure.

Envy cocked its head, "I explained that to you seconds ago," it ran a fingertip around the rim of the glass formerly full of fruit smoothie.

" _What is this slippery bastard's game?_ " Ed thought out loud, yet again ignored by Greed.

"I suppose you did. Now tell me, Envy, why was Wrath so hostile, then?" Greed countered the other homunculus.

"Wrath is like that everyone he meets. That geezer couldn't be nice if he tried. But come on, Greed, don't you want to come back with us to where you _belong_?"

Greed remained silent for longer than normal. Envy had struck a chord with its latest comment, "And where would that be, Envy?"

"With us, your family," Envy's smirk seemed to increase as it knew of its small victory, "Anyone else would willingly throw you to the side of the road like a piece of trash, but Father cares about you, Greed," Envy moved its arms to lay in an inviting gesture in the middle of the table.

Greed sucked in a sharp breath, and his mind went fuzzy for a moment. Ed could have sworn he saw something… Something from Dublith…

"Greed, Father has always been the one providing you with a place to stay and with the recognition you deserve. He brought you back to life because he wanted you around, Greed," Envy's sympathetic words were thrown off by its cold eyes, but Greed didn't seem to notice.

"I… guess so…" He said, tracing the lines on his automail arm.

"Come on, you've had some free time now," Envy pushed its seat away from the table to get up, "Father will be pleased to find that you're finally coming back."

Greed stood up as well, not seeming pleased, but looking as if he believed Envy. " _Greed, do you actually believe this bullshit?,_ " Ed asked, knowing very well how much the shapeshifting homunculus liked to mess with others.

" _I had my little break, kid. Now I get to go back and do my job. He's right, Father created me for a reason,_ " Greed did not look happy, but he didn't look too upset either, " _I do whatever I want because I want to, shrimp,"_ Ed glared, _"I'm not going back purely because my asshole sibling wants me to. With Father by my side, I can get closer to taking over the world."_

Ed's anger lessened, and he pondered Greed's latest statement. Greed acted like he was completely fine all alone, and that he didn't need anybody for anything, but Envy's jabs about having a family seemed to really get to him.

Then, the flash of memory in Greed's mind resurfaced. It had definitely been Dublith, back when Greed had loyal friends. Greed wasn't going back because he actually cared about Father's plans. He was going back because he didn't want to be stuck alone. Ed knew that feeling. He and Alphonse had always acted like they didn't need anyone, but they would be completely lost without Winry or as much as he hated to admit it, Colonel Mustang's team. Hell, Ed would probably be dead if he didn't have Alphonse with him. Having people around who genuinely cared was extremely important, and not having that could drive anyone crazy.

Suddenly, Greed's earlier annoyance made infinitely more sense. He hated Ed because Ed was pushing him away from people who could possibly like or care about him.

Greed stood up and went to follow his sibling, and Ed remained quiet. Fighting against Greed wouldn't be smart to do right now, due to the volatile emotions of the homunculus at that moment. And besides, Ed wasn't so cruel as to deprive Greed of something he desperately wanted too.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N Well my excuse for lateness this time is that I literally came up with three more story ideas I want to write. I think I'm going to drown in AUs.

But anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed their spring breaks! I finally got to live alone for a week and it was great to have some quiet time. There were no obnoxious sisters there to remind me how much they hate this fanfic...

Anyways, stuff is finally gonna start happening after this! This chapter sets the stones for the much awaited BRIGGS ARC! And Badass Alphonse!

Thank you guys so much for all the amazing reviews, and a special shoutout to Blue Teller for your fantastic analysis! I'm super excited at the fact people are actually reading and enjoying this! As usual, feel free to leave reviews and tell me if anything is glaringly wrong or OOC. Enjoy!

* * *

City air may not be clean, but it was a vast improvement over the air down in the sprawling system of tunnels below. Greed took in a deep breath as he and Wrath stepped out into the open, and even Ed seemed to perk up. Greed immediately reminded himself to find himself a house on the outside to spend nights; and where he could keep his possessions safe.

Ed rolled his eyes at the inner monologue of the homunculus, but soon looked to the person approaching. Lieutenant Hawkeye saluted her superior, and quickly fell into step behind the pair of homunculi.

Greed seemed to dislike the Lieutenant, due to their conversation a week ago, and the fact that she looked at him knowing Ed was still alive. Her face was an emotionless mask 99 percent of the time, but whenever Greed did anything Ed could see himself doing, an expression of pain crossed the woman's face.

"Lieutenant," Wrath spoke first, and proceeded to give his personal assistant instructions for the day. She responded by reminding the Fuhrer of his schedule and giving the 'Fullmetal Alchemist' his new assignment.

Most of the tasks Greed was given by Wrath involved doing inspections of other alchemists, and keeping tabs on the ones skilled enough to open the portal. Ed felt like retching every time any of the homunculi mentioned human transmutation, but was forced to watch and go along anyway. Despite the fact that Greed had been sent out four times that past week, he had only been met with failure, a circumstance that greatly pleased Ed.

This time, the file Hawkeye handed him had the description of some old guy living a mile outside of Central. Just by looking at the picture and glancing at the words on the paper, Ed could tell this would be another wasted day. He let out a loud sigh, alerting Greed to his presence.

" _What now, kid,_ " Greed had progressed from flat-out ignoring Ed (except when poking fun at him or when Ed made a giant fuss about something), to sometimes initiating conversations with the young alchemist.

" _This guy is just another waste of time,_ " Ed groaned, as if he could be doing anything better than sitting around and watching Greed mess around with his life.

Greed rolled his eyes, " _I can see that too, but I don't wanna piss Wrath off even more right now,_ " Greed kept walking by the older homunculus, who was blissfully ignorant of the conversation going on in Greed's head.

" _Fine then,_ " Ed thought it was strange for Greed to stay so obedient to Father and the other homunculi, especially since he seemed to have such big aspirations for himself. The Greed in Dublith wanted everything he could get his hands on, and more. This Greed talked about wanting power and money, but seemed content to follow the other homunculi around like a dog. This either was a completely different being, or he had some kind of ulterior motive. Despite Greed's occasional stupid moments, Ed guessed the latter reason was true.

Greed and Wrath continued down the hall, receiving salutes and nervous looks. Greed swung Ed's silver watch around in the air for people to recognize, and smirked at the jealous glances of others. Even if the Fuhrer was an irritable jerk of a homunculus, he still had power and status, which gave Greed some status by association. Ed couldn't care less about trivial things such as that, but Greed relished it. His "fame, money, power" speech from Dublith definitely rang true in this situation. Maybe that was why Greed hadn't abandoned the other homunculi yet.

Greed eventually left Wrath and Hawkeye to continue whatever it was they did, and began toward the north edge of Central. It would be a long walk, so Ed retreated into his thoughts once more. Perhaps this would give him the chance to figure this homunculus and his true motives out.

* * *

May drew another alkahestry array on the cotton of her pillow, and carefully placed her knives around the edges so Dr. Knox wouldn't hear the tearing. May liked the Doctor, but she was finally conscious enough to begin her own treatment of her wounds using her own methods. She wasn't sure how the man would react- both to finding out she was now taking matters into her own hands, and for putting five holes and an entire array on one of his pillows.

She set her head down, making sure to avoid her knives, and activated the circle beneath her head. Using the dragon's pulse required focus and concentration, and her concussion a little over a week ago had seriously scrambled some things around in her mind. The most she could do was talk to Alphonse, and recently, start walking around for short distances.

May finished with her first transmutation, and lifted her head off of the pillow. Her head hurt an infinite amount less, and she smiled as she put her knives back in her pocket. She glanced at the torn pillow, and flipped it to the other side. Already having used alkahestry, she didn't want to push herself too hard; she would continue her healing later on that night. Alphonse was always warning her not to push too hard and hurt herself further.

As if on cue, the door to May's room opened, and in stepped a familiar suit of armor.

"Alphonse," May smiled, and sat up straighter.

"Hi May," he replied, a smile evident in his voice. Even though the boy had no face, his speech was incredibly emotive. May usually didn't need a face to know what Alphonse felt, "So how are you feeling today?"

May briefly debated telling Alphonse about her alkahestry, but decided against it. Al liked listening to the doctor, and he might not be too happy either if he found out she was trying to heal herself, "I'm doing a lot better today. My head hurts much less," being purposefully vague hopefully wouldn't arouse suspicion.

"That's great, May! You'll be better in no time!" Alphonse sat down on the edge of her bed as he had been doing since the first day she arrived.

Remembering the first day she arrived, May frowned at the awful headaches and the stinging from all her cuts. Trying to eavesdrop on Alphonse's military friends had not been an easy task, and now May only remembered snippets of what she heard.

She knew Alphonse and those men were trying to keep in touch across the country, and that soldier woman was working directly for the enemy. May didn't know how to make sense of the situation, especially since she knew almost nobody in Amestris. She had no idea what her future would look like, especially now that she had gotten involved with Amestrian affairs.

May was confused about many things in this strange new country, and as much as she enjoyed travelling with Mr. Scar and Mr. Yoki, they didn't always do the best job of explaining things. Now, with all of this new drama, May was more clueless than before, and desperately wanted answers.

Now May finally had another friendly face in front of her, one that she finally felt comfortable enough talking to about delicate things such as this. So May took a deep breath, and asked, "So, what's going to happen next? With your brother, and those military men? And the strange alchemy in this country?" It was a lot to ask, but May finally felt like she needed to know. She was regaining her strength, and she wanted to know what was going on around her.

Al was quiet for a moment, but soon spoke again, "Right now, Brother is staying in Central with those evil guys," he began twirling the "hair" on his helmet around in his fingers, "And those military guys are all spread across the country, but we're managing to talk to each other. There isn't anything major planned to happen yet, but I know the Colonel is planning something. Colonel Mustang is a very smart man, so you can trust him. And, I know you mentioned the alchemy before, but I think it only seems strange to you because you're used to alkahestry," Al finished, his answer as concise as possible.

"But I know there's something seriously wrong here. Mr. Scar and I both felt it underground," May insisted, not enjoying being wrong. Even though May wasn't the most conventional princess, there were still some undeniable traits such as pride that marked her as royalty.

"Well, the homunculi's father is definitely bad. Maybe it was just him you felt," Alphonse offered, making it obvious to May that he was almost as clueless as she was.

May sighed, and shook her head, "Sorry about all of the questions, Alphonse. I just want to know what I'm going to be going back to."

"I'm sorry for not knowing all the answers," Al replied, looking into May's dark eyes with his red glowing ones, "And I can't believe you're going back to Scar so soon. You hit your head pretty bad back there."

"You don't need to worry about me so much. And I'll be safe with Mr. Scar and Mr. Yoki when I leave. Not only are they good fighters, but I am too," May crossed her arms, not sure whether to be annoyed or flattered at Al's doting on her.

"Wait- uh.. I didn't mean to imply… I know you're a good fighter, the first time I saw you, you basically beat Brother and I," If Alphonse had a real face, May was sure he would have been blushing.

"Don't worry, Alphonse," May fiddled with one of her long braids, "I know you didn't mean it like that. I guess I'm just becoming restless from lying around here all week."

"I know what you mean. I've been to the library so many times, trying to find books on homunculi, but I can't get into any of the sections restricted for civilians. I need brother's credentials as a state alchemist," Al sighed, "I feel so useless right now. The Colonel's team just all left Central, and he wants to wait for a while until we make our next move toward something."

May looked at the armored boy in front of her, and his words resonated in more ways than one.

Even though her problem wasn't library restrictions, she still hated being confined to her bed. Especially when she needed to find a philosopher's stone, and figure out the madness regarding Edward Elric. May couldn't just sit there and be sick while her clan was awaiting her back in Xing. She needed to leave this house.

"Alphonse," she needed to tell him about the alkahestry, "I've begun to use alkahestry to heal my wounds. If all goes well, I should be able to leave here tonight," Even if he and the Doctor wouldn't approve of May taking matters into her own hands, she had made up her mind about getting out of the house.

"What?" Al asked, incredulous. He honestly sounded more amazed than annoyed, "Wait, have you told Dr. Knox about this?"

"No. Today is the first day I was able to clear my mind and focus enough to perform the transmutation," May shrugged, "Alkahestry focuses on medicine and healing, and I know perfectly well what I'm doing."

Al looked down at her, and May really wished he had a face. He made a small noise, but soon went silent again. May knew he liked having her around to talk to, and that Al wanted to keep her safe, but he should have realized that she had her own matters to attend to.

"Can you show me?"

That certainly wasn't the response May had been expecting. But she shrugged off her surprise, and took her daggers out of her pocket, "I just performed a transmutation and I'm tired, so this next one might not work as well," She flipped her pillow to the drawn-on side, and placed the knives on the points of the star inside the circle.

"If you don't feel ready to show me, you don't have to," Al played with the "hair" on his helmet again, and May shook her head.

She placed her hand on the circle, and activated it, this time aiming to completely heal a cut on her forearm. Blue light flashed, and as soon as it began, her transmutation was over.

"Wow!" Al exclaimed, "I've never seen anything like that!"

May smiled, "Well that's basic Alkahestry in action," She had talked with Alphonse a bit about Alkahestry before, but had never been able to give him a live demonstration. She felt a surge of pride knowing that he was pleased.

She was glad she had told Alphonse about her self-healing now; he seemed to understand why she wanted to leave. And she was also happy she was able to show him. The two had become somewhat close in the past week, and May was pleased to have been able to give him a parting gift.

As Alphonse asked her another question about Alkahestry, she smiled, and gladly answered. She was glad they could talk like this before May had to leave again, and May hoped she would have another opportunity to talk to Alphonse in the future.

* * *

Al waved the small Xingese girl and her panda off into the night, and May smiled as she waved back. He watched her disappear around a corner in the night, and Al hoped she made it back to her travelling companions safely.

Walking back into Dr. Knox's house, Al ran into Ling and Lan Fan, who had begun raiding the fridge. Even in their condition, the prince and his bodyguard could still eat themselves into oblivion. Al glanced at Ling's chicken leg enviously for a moment before the prince spoke up.

"So has Princess Chang left for good?" He swallowed his bite, and looked out the window as he took the next one.

"May just left to go back to her former travelling companions," Al replied, not wanting to give Ling too much information about his half-sister. The animosity between the different clans of Xing might lead Lan Fan to murder the young princess if she found her outside the Doctor's house.

"So where are you headed now," Ling asked, completely disregarding May's location.

"I was thinking about visiting the library again today," Al rubbed the back of his helmet. He was actually becoming curious about alkahestry, and wanted to see if it could be useful in fighting homunculi.

"Good luck with your findings," Ling smiled into his bowl of rice, and Lan Fan even gave a small smirk with chopsticks in her mouth.

"Thanks, guys," Al retreated into his room to gather some books to return, and left the foreigners to their small feast.

Ling and Lan Fan had been healing neither fast nor slowly, at a rate just in between. The two were obviously annoyed at the fact that they didn't have any alkahestrists there to help them. Despite being quiet and always calm, Al could tell that Lan Fan was becoming restless. She was waiting for Fu to arrive back in Central, but it was obvious she would rather have left much earlier.

Ling seemed annoyed as well. His casual demeanor had shifted toward the more serious in recent days, and his voracious appetite had been lessened. It was obvious Ling was being torn up inside about Ed, and the fact that Ed sacrificed himself for Ling. Al felt awful knowing that the prince blamed himself, but had no clue how to comfort him. He didn't know how to convince Ling that nothing was his fault- not when Al felt just as guilty.

Soon, Alphonse gathered his books, put them in his chest, and headed out. Walking along the streets of Central felt different without Ed there, they felt empty. Al's older brother had brought life into wherever they went, with his red cloak, and his loud demeanor. Even if Al claimed Edward was obnoxious, he secretly enjoyed his brother's outspoken personality.

All the librarians knew Alphonse. A giant suit of armor was pretty memorable, and he'd come with Ed many times to the library as well. They knew him so well, in fact, that Alphonse had almost convinced them to let him into the new first branch where all of the restricted alchemy texts were held. Sadly though, they weren't allowed to let him in unless they saw Ed's pocket watch, leaving Alphonse to browse the unclassified, unhelpful works meant for the public.

Al returned his books, and set off searching for anything relating to homunculi. Finding nothing, he thought of his conversation with May earlier that day, and her brave transmutations. After leafing through the usual nonsense, Al had a thought: Alkahestry could help.

Homunculi were created when a human was fused with a philosopher's stone, but as exhibited by Edward, the soul of the human remained intact during the process. Alkahestry was an art which dealt heavily with human souls, or, their life forces or chi, rather. May could sense things Al couldn't, and she was able to transmute using the world's flow of chi.

What if alkahestry could find a way to completely separate Ed's soul from Greed's stone?

What if alkahestry was the answer to the puzzle?

If so, Al's heart sank. He had just let the one alkahestrist he knew walk away that night.

"Damn it!" Al cursed, and dropped the book he was holding. A man looked up from where he stood, and Al apologized quietly before retreating back into his thoughts.

May had only told him that she was going to rejoin Scar, Yoki, and oddly enough, Dr. Marcoh. What direction their group was headed remained a mystery to Alphonse. Scar had stayed in Central for a while, so they might stay in the city. Although… Given the fact that May and Scar both seemed distraught by Father, they both might leave the city completely and find somewhere else to hide out.

If they left, May had given no indication as to where the group would go. For all Alphonse knew, they might even leave the country for Xing.

Al groaned, and put his hand over his face. As much as he wanted to find May again, he would have to do some major searching in order to find her. Maybe the Colonel had contacts, and could help him. Team Mustang was spread across the country, so if May left Central, there might be a chance of her being spotted. For now though, Al would have to find out what he could about Alkahestry in the library.

Walking up to the front desk, the girl working there gave him a smile, "Checking anything new out today, Alphonse?"

"Not right now, Leanna," Al replied as cheerfully as he could, "I was wondering if you had any books about Xingese Alkahestry."

Leanna's brows shot up in confusion, but slowly came down as a thoughtful expression crossed her face, "I believe they would be near the basic alchemy texts, but I can't say I remember seeing too many books with alkahestry mentions in them," she offered, giving Al a slight smile.

"Alright, thank you!" Al replied cheerfully, and bounded off to the back section where the alchemy texts were held. Almost immediately, Al saw a large volume titled 'World Practices of the Magical Arts'. Even with the horrendous title, it would be a place to start.

For the next hour, Alphonse poured through alchemy books, finding only vague and useless knowledge of Alkahestry. There was almost nothing past the point of what May explained to Al in the bedroom earlier. Alphonse slammed his latest book shut, and another librarian came over to help him.

"Is everything alright, Alphonse?" His voice was laced with concern as he looked over the stack of materials Al had sitting in front of him.

"I'm fine, Robert," Al sighed, "Do you know if this library has any more books about Xingese Alkahestry?"

"I don't think so, sorry," Robert shrugged, "But there might be something in the new first branch. We just got a whole bunch of new books from up north to help replace the ones that burned in the fire."

Al grimaced internally, then perked up, "Wait, did you say a bunch of books from the north?"

"Yeah. The North City Library has a lot of books we don't, so they donated some of their old ones to help refill the first branch. If your brother was with you, the two of you could look there," he offered.

Thinking of Ed made Alphonse wince, but his mind soon began working in overdrive. The North City Library might have more information than the one in Central, "Right now, I'm doing my own research while Brother is off doing important military stuff," Al tried to explain, "But do you think that there would be more books up in North City about this if I looked?" If the books were different, Al might find something new.

Robert shrugged, "I would think so. After our first branch burned down, the North has the most alchemical texts in Amestris."

That was all Alphonse needed to hear. He needed to head to North CIty to find answers. The new books there might have information on alkahestry, and maybe even on homunculi and philosophers stones. Ed and Al had never travelled up north, but the idea appealed to him now. Honestly, any new way to get answers sounded appealing to Alphonse.

"Thank you, Robert," Al shook the librarian's hand, "That's where I'll be headed next," Al stood up, and raced out of the library.

It wasn't like the younger Elric brother to make spur-of-the-moment decisions; that was Ed's specialty. But Alphonse didn't have to act as Ed's controlling conscience at the moment- he was completely free to make whatever choices he wanted to, no matter how rash.

Also, there was the pressing sense of urgency about the matter that made Alphonse feel like a tin can under a steam roller. The longer Al waited, the longer Ed would be trapped by Greed and Father. Making quick decisions was crucial.

Al practically ran down the library steps, toward Dr. Knox's house, before he heard a voice shout, "ALPHONSE ELRIC! HOW VERY NICE TO SEE YOU!"

Major Armstrong hugged the young alchemist, and Al replied, "It's nice to see you too, Major."

Al hadn't seen Major Armstrong in a while, and was glad to see a familiar face which hadn't been shipped away or swamped with work, "How have you been?"

"I've been well, Alphonse. What about you? "The major twirled the end of his mustache.

"I'm doing a lot of research," Al started, but soon didn't know what to say. How much did Major Armstrong know about Ed's current predicament?

"Good, good!" The major heartily bellowed, but suddenly pulled in close to Al, "Colonel Mustang told me what happened to Edward. Are you really doing alright?"

Al was taken aback by the statement, and the Major's sudden mood change, "Yeah. I think I just got a lead on where to head next to get some info," Major Armstrong nodded, prompting AL to continue, "I heard the library in North City has a lot of alchemical texts that might be able to help, so I want to get on the next possible train up there."

"Up north…" Major Armstrong trailed off, then a look crossed over his face that Al couldn't quite place, "If you need any help, there is an officer stationed at Fort Briggs who should be able to help… Major General Armstrong."

"Are the two of you siblings?" Al gasped slightly.

"Yes. She and I are siblings," Major Armstrong replied, a ghost of a laugh appearing on his face, "Let me write you a letter of introduction to give to her in case you deem it necessary to enter Briggs."

"You don't need to go through the trouble…" Al began, not wanting anyone to waste time at his expense.

"I will write you a letter of introduction, Alphonse Elric," The major turned serious again, and Al felt vaguely unnerved. Even if this was Major Armstrong's sister, and Al hadn't even met her yet, the woman gave off an intimidating vibe, "I will have it done by tomorrow, and I can meet you at the train station."

"Um, sounds good, Major," Al stammered, and the Major let go of his armor.

"Have a _lovely_ rest of the evening, Alphonse!" The Major stepped away and saluted, "I bid you farewell until tomorrow!" Al could have sworn the man sparkled as he walked away smiling.

It comforted Al to know that Major Armstrong was on their side as well, and that the Colonel had this many allies. But Al also felt guilty that the Major was going to extra lengths to help. Even though it was only a letter, it was something the Major didn't need to put time and effort into.

Al hated how many people had dropped everything just to help with his and Ed's problems. The Major, Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye, Ling and Lan Fan… All of those people had their own lives, their own goals and ambitions, yet they were all invested in helping Ed and Al out as much as they could. Even though the brothers had tried to distance themselves from too many other people, the two had managed to pick up a whole posse along the way. And Al hated it. _He_ should be the one dealing with this and helping, not anyone else. This mess was his fault, for letting Ed get so tangled up with the homunculi that he became one. The Colonel and the Lieutenant didn't have to feel responsible for what happened; they weren't responsible in any way. They didn't need to putting their lives on the line by trying to help him.

So Al decided that he needed to go up north alone. Colonel Mustang and Ling deserved to know where he was going, but Al wouldn't stand them going with him. He couldn't burden them any further.

This was Al's problem, and Al was going to fix it no matter what.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: this is quite possibly the shortest chapter there will ever be in this story, but I promise, it isn't just filler like the last few. Ever since the beginning of this story, I've been thinking about how god-awful Greed!Ed's (or Gred as I call him) fashion sense would be. My favorite description of it comes from a friend who said he'd be like a "goth rapper".

Just a warning, AP exams are coming up really soon, so the reason for this chapter's shortness, and a possible delay in the next chapter is going to be due to me studying. After that madness is over, hopefully I'll be able to give this story and others the attention they need.

Again, thank you guys so much for the reviews and favorites! Every time I get a notification, it makes my day. Thanks for being awesome and sticking with this story!

* * *

" _That's too flashy, even for me,_ " Ed complained as Greed tried on a fur vest.

" _Shut up, kid. This isn't even your body. It's mine. And your bank account is mine too, so I can buy whatever I want,"_ Greed snarled back, but took the vest off, " _All of this fur is making this body seem even smaller,_ " he grumbled, and hung the atrocious article of clothing back up.

Shopping seemed to be one of Greed's favorite activities, as Ed had figured out that day. The homunculus was overjoyed at the fact that he had a full bank account and an entire street of Central filled with thrift stores. Ed wasn't quite so enthusiastic, as he made almost all of his clothes himself with alchemy. Browsing around shops in Central hadn't previously been deemed an acceptable use of his time.

Besides, there were a few… questionable choices Greed had come close to making.

Ed was a firm believer that wearing sunglasses indoors (especially small round sunglasses) made him look like a douchebag. Greed was not.

Ed always wore his elevator shoes. Greed had taken a liking to some strange-shaped boots with pointy toes.

Ed needed his arms and legs completely covered, no automail showing. Greed loved flexing his biceps, and wearing fur vests to show people.

Luckily, Ed had convinced Greed not to buy any of those things in order to keep his public image safe. He fully intended on taking his body back from the narcissistic homunculus soon, so he couldn't let Greed prance around in tacky sunglasses.

"Hmmmm," Greed sighed, picking up a pair of red leather pants. Ed was about to open his mouth to argue, but soon realized, _red leather pants might look pretty badass_.

Greed tried the pants on, and tried tucking Ed's shirt in. But the combination of a loose shirt and tight pants didn't please him, so Greed stripped that off too and instead grew his ultimate shield over his chest. He smiled at himself in the mirror, but Ed couldn't help but think back to Dublith.

Back then, Greed had been wearing his shield as a shirt. Suddenly, gray, distorted images flashed through Greed's mind.

" _What the hell, you brat?"_ Greed asked through gritted teeth. He and Ed still weren't on completely friendly terms, and an instance like this was sure to dampen whatever strange relationship they had already built.

" _I'm not doing anything,_ " Ed spat back. Just like last time he thought of Dublith, the flashes came. Musing on that thought, Ed corroborated a theory. Greed may claim his memory was wiped, however, Father likely only covered the memories up. And now, they were slipping through the cracks whenever Ed thought of a trigger such as Dublith. The best part about it, though, was that memories seemed to weaken Greed. And the weaker he was, the easier Ed could take back control.

" _Well stop whatever the hell you're doing to make my mind go all fuzzy. Otherwise I'll have to put in the effort to properly integrate your soul into my stone,_ " Greed snarled.

" _Fine, you asshole,_ " All Ed seemed to recieve were threats these days. The only person he could truly talk to was Greed, and that relationship was far from ideal. Greed was a social being, and loved talking to people, so he was fine, but Ed was either left with his thoughts, or with a homunculus.

Continuing with his shopping trip, Greed picked up a long leather coat with a fur collar. Ed cursed at the sight of more fur, but Greed slipped the garment and smiled. He turned around in front of the mirror and looked at his new ensemble. Ed didn't think it was completely terrible, he liked leather. Greed had put his elevator shoes back on, so really, the only problematic part of the ensemble was the fur collar, the round sunglasses, and the fact that Greed wanted his chest bare. (And maybe the coat should be red too, but it might clash with the pants.) But Ed could manage to live with what he had on now. The fur wasn't as atrocious as Greed's Dublith outfit, and he had gotten rid of those god-awful shoes. And the shirtlessness wasn't _too_ bad. As long as his automail stayed covered, he wouldn't complain too much.

" _I look good,_ " Greed smirked. Ed couldn't really complain; the leather pants and coat _did_ made him look pretty badass. After receiving no comment from the alchemist, Greed asked, " _So what do you hate about it this time, kid?_ "

" _Your sunglasses are tacky, but otherwise, this won't ruin my public image too much,_ " He crossed his arms, not wanting to sound too proud of the homunculus.

Greed turned around once more in the mirror, then changed back into Ed's clothes. He bought the garments he found, and the woman working in the shop stared at him strangely as she piled them into a bag. Her opinion didn't matter, she had boring taste anyways.

The door of the shop jingled as Greed walked out, pleased with himself and his purchases. He kept making his way downtown and eventually arrived at another thrift shop. Not being able to resist, Greed walked into that one as well. Ed was confused as to why the homunculus kept wanting to buy things second hand; this was the living incarnation of Greed. He himself had given multiple speeches about wanting 'the finer things in life', and was basically plotting to take over the world. Shouldn't he be making purchases in some of those expensive designer stores Ed sometimes saw?

" _What's with you and thrift stores?_ " Ed couldn't control himself. Not having anyone else to talk to made him desperate enough to blurt out whatever he wanted to say in hopes of having a conversation.

" _What's your issue with me now, brat?_ " Greed retorted.

" _I thought you wanted to surround yourself with only the most opulent things,_ " Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to begin a conversation with Greed…

" _I said finest things, and these stores have much better choices than those other boring ones,_ " Greed scoffed.

" _Ooooookay…_ " Was all Ed could muster. Then, Ed remembered his theory, " _So Greed, is this thrift shop obsession just a leftover from your old self's choices?"_

Ed had to be careful with his words in order not to let Greed on about his plan, " _Are you trying to imitate your old choices from Dublith?"_

Again, the warped scenes from back then flew into the homunculus' mind. Ed saw himself and Alphonse in one, and that chimera lady. But each scene lasted a fraction of a second, and Ed soon found that he couldn't keep up with everything. Greed yelled out and held his hands over his his forehead as if he were in pain.

" _What the fuck are you doing to me?!"_ He roared, closing his eyes.

" _Don't you remember this, Greed? Don't you remember what happened in Dublith to you and everyone else there?_ " Ed pushed again, keeping the inferno of memories swirling inside Greed's mind.

" _I wasn't ever in fucking Dublith! I don't have a single goddamn clue what you're talking about!"_ He screamed, his grasp on Ed's body slipping. Greed's eyes were sealed shut, and he was trying to turn away from any images that taunted him. Ed was almost there.

" _I fought you in Dublith. Don't you remember, I figured out how to destroy your ultimate shield,"_ At that point, Ed had begun yelling as well. He stretched himself out and got ready to grab for control.

" _You liar! I'd never met you before that day underground!"_ Greed made Ed's automail arm bat the air around him on the outside, as if Greed was trying to physically swat the memories away.

" _Didn't know me? You and your little gang kidnapped my brother!_ " Ed's voice was at full volume now, and that combined with the whirlwind of gray memories was too much for Greed.

The homunculus slipped, and Ed fought his way to control. Greed shrieked, but it didn't hinder the alchemist one bit. Ed jerked his arm, and took a shaky step forward, then met little resistance. He drew in a sharp breath, then tried calming his fast-beating heart. Looking in a nearby mirror, Ed saw his eyes fade back into their gold color, and he almost couldn't believe what he was seeing.

He could feel the cool air against his skin again, and he was able to run his fingers through his long hair. Ed didn't realize how much he missed being able to feel the sunlight on his face.

" _No!"_ Yelled Greed, his face contorted with rage, " _This is my body!_ " Now that nobody was thinking of Dublith, Greed's mind had reverted back to the usual chaos of the philosopher's stone. It was hectic, but it was something Greed and Ed had both grown accustomed to and could become stronger in.

Ed didn't respond to Greed, opting instead to keep his hold on his body. He walked out of the shop, and began sprinting down the street toward Central Command. He knew the Colonel would be there, and hopefully Alphonse. They could help him. They could figure out how to extract a philosopher's stone-

Suddenly Ed's legs froze up, and he tumbled to the ground, clothes flying out of his bags. _No, no no no no no!_ He tried kicking, but it was no use. Ed saw his reflection in a puddle near his head, and watched as his eyes twitched, not sure whether to turn purple or gold.

Ed drew his fist back to hit his leg, but was stopped by the crawling sensation of the ultimate shield. It felt like thousands of worms under his skin, and Ed dropped his hand as well.

" _Damn it!"_ He yelled, and pushed back against Greed, " _Shit shit shit shit shit shit,_ " The homunculus wasn't letting up.

" _I swear to God, I am going to kill you right here and right now if you don't give me my body back!_ " Greed yelled one last time, and with a swift grab, seized complete control.

Ed's eyes faded into their deep violet color, and his face twisted with rage. Ed slipped back down amidst the screaming souls of the philosopher's stone, defeated. Greed scoffed, and stood up in the street. Some people had stopped to stare after Ed had fallen, so Greed promptly flipped them off and retrieved all of his clothes.

" _Don't ever try that again you little pissant,"_ Greed snarled at Ed, stomping down toward his favorite cafe.

Ed didn't respond; he was too exhausted from his breakaway. He had been so close. If only he could have been a little more aggressive, stayed a little bit longer…

He just wanted to see Alphonse again. Ed needed his little brother. He was too tired to be fighting alone and he needed to see Al's face again. Even though Ed knew Alphonse was safe somewhere out there, he hated not knowing where Al was.

The two brothers had been practically inseparable since birth, and this was the longest stretch of time Ed had gone without seeing the younger Elric. Ed's heart ached for his family, and he missed the connection. Greed had effectively separated Ed from anyone he cared about. Alphonse was out of the picture, there was no way he could visit Winry like this, and he even missed annoying Colonel Mustang. Lieutenant Hawkeye thought of him as Greed; holding out hope of Ed's survival, but never talking to Ed himself, only the homunculus in control.

He couldn't give up though. He knew he had to keep fighting, damn it. But he didn't know how much harder it was going to get.

* * *

Alphonse Elric hopped off the train and watched as white snowflakes circled in the air around him. It wasn't like he'd never seen snow before; Resembool had had its fair share of stormy winter days; but he'd never seen so much of it in one place. Everything was draped in a soft white blanket, and Al reached out to touch it even though he couldn't feel anything. Force of habit, he guessed.

He made his way out of the station and into the main plaza on the outside. The snow was even more intense out there, due to the fact that there was no roof partially obscuring the downfall of the white flakes.

Al smiled on the inside, at the beautiful sight in front of him. The mountains in the distance reflected blue with their jagged peaks, and Al knew that Edward would have loved the view. He'd need to come back someday with his brother once they both got their bodies back so they could look at the sights and jump in the soft clouds of snow on the ground. Al fantasized about getting hit in the head with a snowball like when he was younger, and desperately missed the sensation of the power exploding on impact and raining down in his own personal flurry. Yes, he and brother and hopefully even Winry would need to visit the North when this whole debacle was over.

Despite the chilly weather, warmth filled Al's heart as he started toward the North City Library. He was going to get Ed's body back, and Ed would marry Winry, and the three of them could come here on vacation and celebrate the fact that they successfully met their goal and defeated the homunculi.

Again, Alphonse wished he had a face, just so he could smile at that thought, and his new hope of finding answers.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N I am finally done with studying for AP Euro, and all the stupid SOL tests too, so now I can focus again on this ongoing saga of Greed and Ed's tacky fashion sense!

So in the past couple of weeks the most exciting thing _ever_ has happened- THERE IS LEGIT FANART OF GRED, Y'ALL. Not just bad sketches I've done in my free time, but legitimate, beautiful art, and I am crying. On Tumblr, thelightningbolt13 has drawn two (!) wonderful pieces, which everyone definitely needs to see: post/143586656834/ed-was-a-firm-believer-that-wearing-sunglasses and post/144045743094/fun-times-with-greed-and-ed-gomboc123-luxyray .

As usual, feel free to leave reviews and say what you love, hate, or just want to say about this story! All of you are wonderful, and thank you for sticking with me for 10 whole chapters so far. I'm also going to try and start replying to reviews, now that I have some time. Again, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

It was unbearably hot. Stifling. Standing in the Fuhrer's office with him was unbearable to Riza. She knew exactly who the man was; what he did, and all he was capable of doing. And Bradley- no, Wrath- seemed to relish that. Every time they were alone, he would smirk, and drink tea, and pretend to be a normal human being, making sure to shoot Riza a glance from his normal eye that told her he was enjoying himself.

All Riza could do was stand and take it, and pour him another small cup of tea on command.

Another thing Riza absolutely despised was the fact that that was all she _could_ do. She wasn't meant to do such menial tasks and just look pretty. She should be by the Colonel's side, helping him get through this hellish situation, and helping Edward somehow. She would even settle for doing paperwork; just _something_ that might even have the chance of accomplishing a task. Small talk, reading the Fuhrer's daily schedule, and getting him whatever he wanted to eat were the most boring things to do on the planet.

Then again- wasn't that the point? Riza had been relegated from her position as Mustang's queen to Bradley's useless pawn. What better way to hold someone hostage then to trap them in a meaningless cycle of tea and small talk? If the Fuhrer gave her any opening at all, Riza knew she'd try and take it. Making her days endlessly long and boring slowed things down, making the most recent weeks run together and demoralizing Riza.

But the single most contributing factor to the choking, oppressive heat in the room was Riza's back. The longer she went knowing her tattoo was whole and fully dangerous, the hotter it got. Riza's mind wandered to images of grenades, knowing that she too might as well be a time bomb. Any idiot could guess the large array on her back was for alchemy, and any genius could see the telltale red salamander of flame alchemy. While Riza knew that it was ridiculous for people to see the array in public, the more emotional, senseless part of her mind was churning. If anyone _did_ somehow see it, and if they found the secrets to flame alchemy, Riza would never be able to forgive herself.

Every time she saw the angry red lines of the tattoo in the mirror at home, guilty grief flooded Riza's system. She needed to get rid of it again soon, before anyone else could use her knowledge to create another Ishval. She hated thinking about it, but she needed Roy to burn her again.

The process had left her with physical scars last time, but Roy had to bear the majority of the emotional scars left by the event. Riza had never regretted having her back burned, but she did regret hurting Roy. She knew that if she had to do the same to him, with Roy screaming out in pain and the smell of his blackened flesh permeating the air around them, Riza might never forgive herself.

Even with those grotesque images in her mind, Riza's burn scars had given her assurance and the slightest bit of comfort. Flame alchemy would be gone from the world forever, and she wouldn't be the death of thousands more people. And also, Roy had done this for her. Despite his vehement disapproval, and the obvious disgust of the idea Riza would even suggest he burn her, he had done it. He had gone out of his way to make her happy, and sacrificed his own happiness to do so. No, Riza wasn't proud of making him do that, but she was still glad he had.

And she needed him to do it again; if only she was allowed to see him.

Constant surveillance of her apartment and her daily activities was another "job perk" she had to put up with. Being reassigned from Roy's command was only the first step in their separation. Even though the two of them had never really interacted in their personal lives too much before, the spies certainly prevented them from ever starting to do so.

Going to Roy's apartment, baring her back to him, and letting him burn her was definitely something personal that needed time and privacy. Neither of which, Riza had. And she might not have in the foreseeable future, until she and Roy managed to find a private meeting place, and communicate with each other how to get there. While it certainly wouldn't be impossible for them, it would take an incredible amount of planning and effort to pull it off.

While Riza racked her brain to figure out ways to meet Roy in private, she also attempted to find as much out about homunculi as possible. She put as much of her conscious effort as she could spare into researching ways to get Edward back permanently.

In the back of the closet in her small apartment, Riza found a box of some of her father's old alchemy books she had originally intended to either sell or give to Roy. Of course, in all of her moving and insanely busy schedule, Riza had never gotten around to it. The books gave her some basic knowledge of the art, and even though a lot of it went over her head, all Riza really needed to do was skim the contents of each chapter until she found mention of homunculi.

So far, she had gotten through _Alchemy For Beginners: a Basic Guide,_ an older tome titled _Kennenworth's Power of Knowledge,_ and a short journal-type book called _Alchemy; It's Not Just For Geniuses!_. Only Kennenworth's had even mentioned creating artificial humans, however, Kennenworth also claimed that homunculi were brought to life when an alchemist brings a stone to life. Ed only became a homunculus once the philosopher's stone containing Greed had entered his body. There wasn't any new life being created, only a parasitic new soul taking control of Ed's little body. And parasites could always be removed.

Lately, Greed was becoming more and more irritable and trying to avoid Riza; she didn't know whether to be concerned or relieved. Watching some imposter walk around In Edward Elric's body, wearing his face and parading around in that red coat was almost too much. The similarities between Greed and Edward sometimes seemed to smack Riza in the face, rendering her unable to do anything except stare.

She understood how she must look at him sometimes, thinking about the time when he was just Edward and wishing that was back. And it made sense that he'd want to avoid her after that.

"Lieutenant," a voice shook Riza out of her thoughts, "Could you make me a cup of earl grey?"

Bradley leaned back in his chair and folded his arms as Riza made moves toward the cabinet holding her employer's fine china. Just like that, he was doing it again. Taunting her. Putting her through the motions of a mundane task, and she had to just take it.

But Riza wasn't going to just sit quietly on her own; she still had plenty of energy left to fight. She may be trapped in the dullest job of all time with a literal "boss from hell", but she could still research ways to get Edward back, gather information about the enemy. She was still in Central Command, so she could find ways to see the Colonel. And she still had ways to contact Fuery, Falman, Havoc, and Breda. Giving up had never been an option. Keeping her scheming a secret, Riza would just continue pouring tea, making calls, and being Bradley's personal shadow. Besides, following behind someone always gave Riza a better shot at their back.

* * *

The tables at the North City Library were made of much softer wood than the ones in Central. Alphonse had found that out after banging his head down in frustration and getting the spike on his forehead stuck.

Al had been at the library for almost eight hours straight, and had found nothing useful about alkahestry.

Sure, at first the wide variety of alchemy books and the fact that many of them looked like real research journals had first excited Al, but he soon realized that there was only a sparse collection of books that might be useful to _him_. Two thirds of those stupid journal-looking books were just about ice and snow alchemy, which, technically _was_ a larger variety than it had been at Central's library, but not larger in a way that would actually be helpful for Alphonse.

Working hard on extricating his head from the table without accidentally taking it off, Al tried to think of a way to use ice alchemy in order to get his brother back. Maybe he could just freeze Greed until he was uncomfortable to come out. Or if Al made him a personal snow flurry, Greed might finally be happy and turn good. Thinking about such ridiculous plans made Al chuckle, and by the time he was able to sit up again, about three members of the library staff were looking at him strangely.

"Oh, sorry about that," Al gestured at the new hole in the table, "I'll fix it," he clapped his hands, and after a flash of blue light, the table was good as new.

One of the librarians' eyes widened, and Al rubbed the back of his head. Even if he didn't have any real hair to ruffle, it was a habit Al hadn't been completely able to kick since he lost his real body.

The oldest librarian, a stern looking woman, gave Al a look and walked away with one of the others by her side. The third librarian, a younger man than the others, was sensible enough to ask, "So why was your head stuck in the desk in the first place?"

"Oh, I'm uh, just a little frustrated," Al replied a bit sheepishly.

"Can I help you find anything?" The man asked. Al didn't know if it was out of obligation or genuine concern.

"Do you have any books on alkahestry?"

A confused look, "What was that?"

"Alkahestry. It's a Xingese variation of alchemy that I'm trying to research. The people at the Central Library told me there might be books on it here," Al explained, and gestured to the materials scattered over the table, "So far I've just found things about normal Amestrian Alchemy."

"Why are you researching that Xingese stuff?" This librarian was not being the most helpful at all.

"Well…" Crap. Al couldn't just say, 'Well my brother's a crazy homunculus now so I need a way to fix him. I don't suppose you know how to kill homunculi without killing the host body'. No. Al would need to come up with some sort of lie to tell, like the one about his armor. What could he say? Maybe something about helping people? But why would he be such a humanitarian as a civilian? Unless…

"Well, I'm trying to research Alkahestry to increase my knowledge and learn new ways to help people," That part technically wasn't a lie. The librarian looked a bit skeptical, and Al knew he had to come up with something a little better. Okay, a lot better, "It's very important that I do this, because, you see, uh, I'm kind of known as the hero of the people, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

The man's jaw dropped, and he stammered for a minute, "Oh- um- Fu-Fullmetal Alchemist, sir, I- I didn't know-" Al mentally cursed at himself for panicking and saying he was Ed because he realized that he didn't have a pocket watch to prove his claims. Meanwhile, the librarian kept talking, "I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you, sir. It was really dumb of me. Fullmetal Alchemist… The armor… I should have connected two and two in my head…"

Al laughed nervously, "No, it's alright," He reached into the small bag he had brought to carry books in and searched for something metal. If he was stealthy enough, he could transmute a pocketwatch for himself. Ed's watch was always laying around somewhere, so Al had had plenty of time to see how it looked and worked. Recreating one shouldn't be that hard.

He spied the leg of the table was made of some sort of metal, and took his chance to steal a little from there, "Oh, Mr. Librarian, The leg of this table looks a little wobbly. Let me fix it for you."

He bent down, and clapped his hands. Al quickly made the leg of the table a little thinner, and used some of the metal to transmute a pocketwatch. He'd never really seen the inside of Ed's watch well enough to recreate the clock face, so he only made the outward appearance accurate.

The librarian watched in awe, and Al had to be extra stealthy to stash the "watch" in his bag before anyone saw his transmutation.

"Wow, thank you, sir!" Al was glad he didn't have a face, because he honestly didn't know how he would have kept it straight throughout the entire ordeal.

"I'm only here to help," he attempted as cheerfully as possible.

It was a miracle that he and Ed had never come up north before, or else people would likely have recognized them. He knew that people always talked about the "Hero of the People" and his brother travelling around, but whenever they met anyone new, Edward was always assumed to be the civilian younger brother. So the only way anyone could call his bluff was if Ed was here to throw a tantrum.

"Can I see your watch? I've never met a real-life state alchemist before," Al thanked God, or whatever higher power that might have existed that he remembered to transmute the watch. He grabbed the shining object and held it up in front of him. Despite the rushed job, the pocketwatch still looked believable. Only one or two transmutation marks showed, and the color looked significantly different enough from the table leg he had taken it from.

The librarian looked slightly amazed, and asked, "So why do you wear the armor?" Shit.

"There is definitely a good reason for that…" Al thought about his usual 'alchemy training' excuse, but it wouldn't work if he was supposedly a full-fledged state alchemist. So his mouth blurted the next pre-made excuse, "It's a hobby!"

"Ooookay…" Was all the librarian could say.

"And I'm not going to take it off," Al quickly added. This was probably just making his situation worse. He was glad he didn't pick up that cat he saw on his way to the library. It would be even worse to have to explain meowing coming from inside him.

"I wasn't going to ask you to...:" The librarian, whose name Alphonse wanted to know at this point, trailed off. Al decided that the best to change the subject back to what he originally

"So would you happen to know if there are any alkahestry books? Or is there someone who could point me in the right direction if you can't?" Immediately the librarian stiffened and put a finger to his jaw to indicate he was thinking.

"Like I said before, I have no clue what alkahestry is. Heck, most alchemy even goes over my head so I don't really pay much attention to those books. But I guess Martha would know better than me."

"Great. Where's Martha?" Al pushed his chair out and stood up, immediately towering over the small librarian.

The man motioned for Al to follow him and the two made it up to the front desk where a short woman sat looking bored. When she spied the two coming over, her face brightened and she let out a cheerful, "Hello, Mike." So Mike was his name.

"Hi Martha. Do you know if we have any books on Xingese alkahestry?" The reply he got to that was a skeptical raised eyebrow, so Mike elaborated, "This man here, the _Fullmetal Alchemist_ , came all the way up here from Central to learn this," Martha's eyes widened as she smiled nervously.

"We have one focused completely about alkahestry, I'm pretty sure nobody has it checked out right now," Martha suggested. She smiled, but seemed a little nervous.

Al's heart leapt at the thought of there being a whole book on alkahestry. And it was a miracle that nobody had checked it out, "That sounds great. Can you tell me where that is?"

Martha got out of her chair and led the two boys into the tallest section of bookshelves. She looked around for a little while, but soon bent down and plucked a thin blue book from the bottom row. She looked over the title once more and handed it back to Al.

" _101 Yoga and Meditation Tips Based on Real Alkahestry Techniques,"_ Al repeated the words on the cover. They had to be joking.

"Yes. The only book in the library written completely about alkahestry," Martha smiled, but not as brightly as before, "I'm sorry if it's not what you're looking for, but it's all we have."

"This is… This is fine," Al said. He didn't want either of the librarians to feel bad about something that was out of their control. They had both done the best that they could, "I'm sure I could still learn a lot form this. Thank you." If the best he could find here was meditation tips, he would need to find May. Or… he'd need to go to Briggs.

He thanked the librarians and sat back down at his own little table. Neither of his options for the future were particularly appealing, so Al tried to reason his way through the situation.

If he went looking for May, he had no idea where to start. The young girl had just left Central without giving any hints to anyone as to her future location. Al could probably wander around the whole Country and never run into her again.

Then there was Briggs. Even though Major Armstrong had graciously written Alphonse a letter of introduction that should be able to get him into the fort, he wasn't sure if he wanted to go in. All the stories he heard about Briggs were insane, such as how one fearsome General kept the entire northern border under the control of her iron fist. But then again… A powerful General could be a helpful ally in his search for information, or even in a search for May.

Besides, he'd been around military men ever since he was eleven, and Ed got his state alchemist certification. Surely he could handle this fort too.

Al shook his arm to hear Armstrong's letter of introduction rattle inside, and made up his mind. One more trip around the library to see if he missed anything, then it was off to Briggs.

* * *

Somewhere along the course of the day, Greed had bought more thrift shop clothes. Ed was tired out from his brief moment of control, so the entire thing had gone by in a blur for him. The afternoon sun had come out during that time, which had made Greed hot enough to take off that atrocious fur-collared vest.

Ed wasn't actually too mad at the new clothes Greed had bought while he was too tired to argue. The red leather pants had stayed, but the vest was replaced with a cooler one made of black leather and covered with all kinds of spikes and chains. Greed had also bought a couple loose black bracelets that hung around his left wrist. The sunglasses remained, much to Ed's chagrin, but at least now Greed had a second pair he could swap them out with sometime in the future.

Now that the shopping was done, and Greed was lounging on a couch he'd dragged down into Father's underground lair, Ed was finally beginning to feel rested enough to talk to the homunculus. Sure, he hated Greed's guts (figuratively, of course. Greed didn't have any real guts that actually belonged to him), and Greed seethed with anger for a solid hour after Ed's little stunt, but Ed needed to ask the homunculus a few important questions such as: _Where is Alphonse right now?_ and _When will I see my brother again?_

Being separated for weeks from his little brother made Ed's skin crawl even worse than the ultimate shield did. Who knew what Al was doing at the moment? Where he was, and if he had gotten himself into any trouble. Probably not, since Ed's temper was much nastier, but Al had a penchant for picking up stray cats. Cats that they most definitely _did not need._

Sure, Alphonse had always been the calmer, more responsible-seeming one, but he was just a fourteen year old kid who'd never been left alone this long before. And Ed, as the older brother, saw that it was his job to worry. He should be out there protecting Al from any trouble that may come to him, not leaving him out in the cold. Al's niceness might get him in just as much trouble as Ed's temper.

Shaking his worried thoughts out of his mind, Ed stood up straighter and addressed the homunculus, " _Hey, Greed. I need to ask you something_."

" _I'm not answering you_ ," Greed replied, scowling at Ed. Obviously he still wasn't over what happened earlier.

" _Look, I'm not trying to cause any more trouble. I just want to know if you can find anything out about Alphonse,_ " Ed tried his very best not to get angry. A screaming match with an immortal monster who could integrate him into the stone at any time did not sound fun.

" _I don't care about your stupid brother,_ " was Greed's curt reply. Ed had a feeling that it would keep getting progressively harder to contain his anger.

" _Well I do care. And didn't Wrath tell you to keep an eye on Al anyway?_ " It was true. At the meeting between Wrath, Greed, and Mustang, the older homunculus _had_ said to try and watch over Alphonse.

" _Wrath is a dumbass and keeps sending me off places during the day. It's not like I even have time to babysit your little brother,_ " Greed rolled his eyes. That statement was also true; if Wrath wanted Greed to watch Al, why was Greed stuck trying to recruit state alchemists?

" _I know Wrath is a dumbass, but you really should be checking up on Alphonse_ ," Ed crossed his arms and glared. He wasn't about to give up on talking to Greed so easily.

Greed sighed, _"Look, kid, I told you, I don't give a shit about your brother. Besides, he's like what, 12? He can't cause that much trouble on his own."_

" _He's fourteen,_ " Ed glared harder, " _And you'd be surprised at what he could get himself into."_

" _Neither of those change my mind about how much I care,_ " Greed was glaring back now.

" _You've never had a brother before, Greed. You just don't understand."_

Greed's face turned into an uglier grimace, and he replied loudly, " _Have you forgotten about Envy? Or what about Wrath and Sloth? I have five brothers, you little shrimp._ "

" _WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A SEAFOOD DISH SO TINY THAT IT WOULDN'T EVEN FILL AN ANT'S STOMACH?!"_ Ed shouted, but soon jerked himself back into control, " _And you and your 'brothers' seem to hate each other. You say you're family, but those titles cover up the fact that you're all allied together. You don't have any of the real feelings right."_

Greed tried to close his eyes, and let out a long, slow breath, " _You need to realize that this family can be a little different than your dumb one. We're all brothers who belong together, united under Father's goals. Shouldn't that be enough emotion for you?_ " Ed was a little shocked to actually have solicited a decent answer from Greed, who was very clearly disregarding his previous statements about 'not talking to the lower life form'.

" _Do you even want the same thing your Father does?_ "

Greed faltered for a moment, " _I was literally born of his Greed. Of course I want the same thing."_

" _No,_ " Ed reasoned, " _He wants the power of God for himself, and you want the entire world for yourself. Those are two very different things."_

" _You forget that since we're a family, I'll also have some of that power,"_ Greed quickly replied, perhaps too quickly. Based off of how Father acted, Ed wasn't so sure that he'd be willing to give Greed anything. Maybe Greed knew too, but was too far in denial at this point.

" _Sure, Greed,_ " Ed decided to play it safe for now.

" _The fuck is that supposed to mean?_ " Apparently he wasn't safe enough, " _Why am I even having this conversation with you? After that shit you pulled earlier, you should consider yourself lucky you're not part of the stone yet._ "

Greed crossed his arms and left Ed to wonder _why wasn't he part of the stone yet_? Not that he was complaining, but he seemed a little bit too lucky at this point. Obviously he'd done nothing but cause trouble and be obnoxious in general, so Greed would have been at least a little bit justified in killing Ed. But he hadn't… And even stranger, Greed actually talked to Ed sometimes. Sure, he was throwing a mini-temper tantrum right now about the shopping incident, but other times, Greed had gone out of his way to call Ed short and make rude comments to him. The two had even had a couple of conversations in the past. A demonic homunculus possessing a human's body definitely shouldn't be talking to its annoying host.

But maybe that was why Ed hadn't been integrated. Despite vehement Greed's claims that Envy, Father, and the rest of them were his family, they never acted like it. In fact, Father treated every single homunculus as if it were just a pawn to use in his sick game. But other than Ed, they were the only ones Greed had to talk to.

Back in Dublith, Greed had surrounded himself with others, and even though he called them his followers or minions. And their entire group had been so tight-knit that it was hard to believe they were anything less than a large, unconventional family. They had been truly loyal to each other, and it was more than likely that Greed conversed with them on a regular basis. Being stuck here in Central, with such an uncaring group of fellow homunculi must be extremely unfulfilling; that might be why Greed occasionally reached out to Ed.

That was what Greed was really like.

Beneath all that cocky exterior, the homunculus just needed friends, and after he realized that his "brothers" couldn't provide, Greed turned to Ed.

But that raised another question; why did Edward keep talking to Greed? Sure, there were times when he had to scream at the homunculus in order to ensure nothing bad happened, but other than that, he had had entire conversations with the _monster possessing his body_.

Ed had never had a ridiculously large group of people surrounding him. It had always been just him and Al, and sometimes Winry too. The two brothers were fine on their own. Although… Ed remembered that he hadn't seen Alphonse in weeks, and it was excruciatingly painful.

Was he as desperate as Greed was becoming; to reach out to the other entity in his mind? He couldn't be… And even if he was lonely, it wasn't like Ed had anyone else there for him. Greed could desert the others again and find new people on the outside to talk to. _He_ was the only desperate one here… Right?


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: So I was fully prepared to finish this chapter and post it yesterday, but then our washing machine broke, and I had to help haul a new one upstairs, put it in, and take the old one and a bunch of scrap wood and metal to the dump, in the rain. So yesterday was not the best day for me. But I did finish the update by today, technically before the end of the weekend! And it's full of badass Alphonse! And actual action! Things are actually happening in this chapter!

And as for the next update, it may or may not come in two weeks. It was scheduled for the end of Royai week, which I am trash for and participating in, so depending on whether or not I get all of that writing done in advance ( as of now I have 1 1/2 of the prompts done, but I may not do them all), Chapter 12 might come in three weeks. I really don't want to rush writing chapter 12, because it's pretty important with the conversation between Al and someone else who you'll find out.

But anyway, I finally got done replying to everyone who reviewed (I think. If I forgot you, I'm sorry)! The amount of positive feedback on this story keeps me going, and it's good to see what everyone is liking about this! Sorry for the insane author's note, but as usual, I hope everyone enjoys!

* * *

"Hey, is that automail?" The man with the cart asked right before he left, as if it were a second thought.

Al slowly and a bit confusedly replied, "No," drawing the O out for a couple of seconds. Why would it matter if he had automail or not?

"Oh. You should be fine, then," And with that cryptic statement, he waved goodbye and left Alphonse standing there, thoroughly confused.

If automail was such a problem up north, Al was glad Brother didn't come along with him on the trip. It was likely that Ed would have just marched right up the mountain, ignoring any warning he got. As much as Alphonse missed Ed, he wouldn't want Ed to possibly injure himself by being a dumbass.

The trek up Briggs mountain was strange for Al; even though he knew it was cold, he couldn't feel a thing. The snowflakes drifting down from the sky hit his armor and Al didn't even feel the slightest bit chilly. This dichotomy confused Alphonse about how to feel. On one hand, he was glad the wind wasn't belting snow and ice onto his real face, however, that kept reminding him that he didn't have a real face. Even if he wanted to feel the sting of the increasing wind, he wouldn't be able to. If he wanted to jump into a soft looking snowbank, the only sensation he'd get was maybe some snow getting on his blood seal. Heck, Al couldn't even make a snowball to throw at people without being able to feel how hard he was packing the snow.

Well, maybe he could transmute some snowballs, but that would take half the fun out of it.

Wandering up the path to the mountain, Al just let his mind wander as well. It wasn't like there was anybody to actually talk to, now that he'd been separated from Edward. Ed. That was always the thing Al's mind drew back on. How was brother doing now? Did he know (him, not Greed) that Al was determined to come make things right? Was he eating properly?

The questions were endless, and Alphonse began to wonder if Ed had the same questions about him. Surely Brother was worried about Al's safety, but was he worrying about his own? Who knew what kind of crazy stuff Greed would get himself into? Al really didn't want his brother's face to be recognizable in some kind of secret illegal gang, or whatever you could call what Greed had in Dublith.

And was Ed getting his proper nutrition? Maybe he'd actually grow a couple inches if Greed decided to drink his milk. But was there any milk at all? Did homunculi even need to eat? Gluttony sure did, but the rest of them might not. If Ed's body wasn't, in fact getting nutrition, then Ed's earlier theory of how their gates got tangled up and Ed was providing for Al's body as well, was likely disproved. Al's body would have keeled over by now after weeks without food. But there was still hope, because it wasn't like either of them had actually seen Al's body after it had been taken.

More and more questions swarmed around in Al's head, but they all went away after the wind picked up even more. Deep, gray clouds descended on the mountain, which, combined with the the unending barrage of snow, made it incredibly difficult to see. Al had a slight advantage with his glowing eyes, but it really wasn't very much at all. He still couldn't feel the snow, but he could hear it making contact with the steel of his armor. Al wondered if he should cover his blood seal with anything, but remembered that his armor was probably the exact same temperature as the air around him (there was no way his body could actually generate heat for itself), and any snow that did hit the armor wouldn't melt on contact.

Soon, Al was glad he was a giant hunk of metal, because otherwise, he'd have been blown away by now. Ed would also have had a great chance of getting blown right off the mountain, due to his small size. Although, his automail might be enough to keep him anchored to the ground.

Once Ed got his body back for himself, he'd need to come up to Briggs and see about that.

The new dream for the future melted away, though, after Al looked down and couldn't see the path beneath his feet. There was a chance the thing had just gotten covered with snow, but there was also the very real possibility that Al had wandered off somewhere random, and was miles away from the Briggs fort.

"Damn it!" He yelled out, hating the fact that he'd felt compelled to curse so much in recent times. Edward was supposed to be the foul-mouthed one.

Al turned to look around, but when he did, something hard knocked on his head, almost making it tumble off, "What the…"

What had once been a clear patch of snow behind him was now two men dressed in white covert-ops uniforms. The Briggs mountain guard. This was a good sign; it meant Al had to be getting close!

"Hey, my name is Alphonse Elric, and I'm here to-" Al couldn't finish his sentence, because one of the guard swiftly sent a punch toward his head again, "Wait!"

Nobody waited. Instead, three more members of the mountain guard popped their heads out of the snow and assumed fighting stances, "My name is Alphonse- HEY!" Another one of them had come at Al, going for his chest to tackle him down. But Al wasn't about to be knocked down.

He grabbed the guy and spun him into a snowbank, quickly having to turn to block the next if he didn't want a fight, it looked like he was going to get one.

Two of the Briggs men, or maybe women, Al didn't know, darted to either side of Al, the one on the left going for his arm and the one on the right going for his legs. Al propelled his left arm up, catching the soldier in the face with a punch. His white face mask shifted position and he had to spend a few seconds on the ground adjusting his mask.

Al wasn't fast enough to stop the other soldier, however. With force that shouldn't be available to an average-sized soldier, the Briggs guard swept Al's feet out from right under him and held him down. Al gasped and swiveled his torso around to punch the soldier. His hits grazed the face of the woman, and her mask became twisted around. Her hands flew off of Al's legs, and he was able to use that opening to land another hit. This one sent the woman careening back into the snow.

The next soldier who tried his luck pulled a gun out. Oh no, "You shouldn't do that!" Al yelled, not wanting to cause these people any serious injuries, "The ricochet might hit you!" His warning obviously wasn't heeded, because Al heard a bang and a scream. The soldier clutched his leg, watching crimson drops of blood fall into the snow beside him. Al wanted to go over and make sure he was alright, but was taken off guard by the last Briggs guard of the bunch who he hadn't fought yet.

This one circled around Alphonse, faking an attack every now and then to try and throw Al off. But the younger Elric brother was not about to lose to a cheap trick like that. Teacher had trained him better. Al waited, turning as the Briggs guard watched him, keeping an eye on the other members of the guard who he'd previously knocked down. Unfortunately, two of them were getting back up. The one whose leg was shot, stayed on the ground bandaging his wound, and the first man Al came in contact with was still in the process of extricating his head from the snowbank.

Finally, Al decided to make the first move, and kicked his leg up at the soldier. He missed his mark, and the soldier darted under it. Al brought his steel foot down onto the soldier's head, causing him to get knocked to the ground. Al turned to assess the state of the other guard members who attacked him, but was soon knocked to the ground himself.

The soldier had apparently not been knocked unconscious, and was now using one hand to rub his head, while the other secured Alphonse into the snow. Once Al figured out what was happening, he took advantage of his incredible strength, and pushed the man off. He went careening into a higher snowbank, and Al stood up, victorious.

The woman soldier came at Al again, using almost the same tactic, but this time holding a piece of rope as if she wanted to tie him up. A swift uppercut to the face stopped her in her tracks and sent her to the ground, now nursing what had to be a bloody nose. Al really didn't want to hurt these people; they were all on the same side. But these attackers were relentless. The last man standing pulled out his own pistol.

"It's going to ricochet! Don't shoot!" Alphonse yelled, but the man kept his aim.

In order to stop the soldier from injuring himself, Al ran toward him, aiming to knock him to the ground. However, before the suit of armor could barrel into the man, he discharged his gun.

The bullet did ricochet, however, it had somehow managed to enter Al's armor through one of the spaces between his helmet and his torso. Now, the projectile was bouncing around inside his chest piece, and Al had to get it out or stop it somehow before it hit his blood seal. That, though, might require him to open it up and reveal that he was hollow.

Al hit the soldier right on top of his head, knocking him unconscious, and turned round to a direction nobody was looking. He quickly opened the chestplate, and the bullet bounced out with one last clang. Finally, it was over.

The Briggs mountain guard was definitely a formidable force to deal with, and had Al not been an indestructable, 7-foot tall suit of armor, he likely would not have won that fight. He hated the fact that there had been a fight in the first place, but at least there was one positive to have come out of the situation. Being attacked by the guard meant that he was near Briggs. And it had to be pretty close, too, due to the number of men who'd tried to stop him. Now all he had to do was locate the fort.

Al closed his chest with a clang, and heard a gruff voice behind him, "Drop the weapon now, you filthy Drachman spy."

Not another one… Al turned, expecting to see another white-clad member of the Briggs guard, but ended up seeing a behemoth of a man holding an automail arm threateningly at him. This man was dressed in the typical blue Amestrian military uniform, a standard-issue black coat draped over his shoulders. This black mohawk ended in a long ponytail that whipped in the wind behind him as he spoke, and pressed a button on the arm- no, not arm, it was more like a jaw with chainsaw teeth attached to his stump.

"Sir, I can assure you, I'm not a spy. My name is Alphonse Elric, and-"

"Only a spy would walk around in this weather. The snow cover makes it easier not to get caught," Mohawk Guy replied threateningly, much to Al's chagrin.

"Look, I came here because I need help from the General," Al held up his hands as a nonviolent gesture, but the action seemed to have no effect on the angry man in front of him.

"I'm sure you would like help from the General, wouldn't you?" he snarled back.

"I have a letter of introduction explaining everything. If you tell you men to stand down and stop attacking me, I can explain everything."

"I sure as hell am not letting a spy infiltrate the Briggs fortress," the man yelled once more, then charged at Al. It was insane; he was almost the same height as the young alchemist.

Mohawk Guy came directly at Al, aiming his jaw-like chainsaw arm straight at the helmet of Al's armor. Alphonse was able to dodge the attack, keeping his head -and his secret- in tact. He begrudgingly accepted the fact that he'd have to fight Mohawk Guy, and swept his foot out to knock the behemoth of a man to the ground.

Al's action caused his opponent to stumble once, but he wasn't knocked over. Al cursed mentally again; that move would definitely have worked on any other normal soldier. Al tried kicking again, landing a solid one into Mohawk Guy's chest. Again, the man let out a pained grunt and stumbled back, but stayed standing. And somehow he'd become even angrier than he already was.

"Please, Sir, let me explain why I'm here. We don't need to be fighting like this!" Al tried again, now on the defensive. The wind around them began dying down, allowing Al's voice to be heard a little louder. Was the storm finally subsiding?

"Listen, you're wandering around Briggs fort in a blizzard, you've beaten almost all of the men stationed here, and you're in the middle of fighting me. You've pulled out zero proof of identity. Do you blame me for being suspicious?" The man growled back. He activated his arm again, and charged at Al.

Not wanting to be cut to pieces by a chainsaw, Al had to try and deflect the man's insane automail. Upon looking closer at the prosthetic, he thought he remembered seeing something like this in one of Winry's automail catalogues. Al read everything he could while everyone else was asleep at night, and one of Winry's catalogues had happened to be lying around the Rockbell house a while ago. This arm, the M19-13-A, or "the Crocodile", was a combat model specialized for northern weather, and if Al remembered right, it had an off button on the inside of the bicep. If he could get to that off button, maybe he could stop Mohawk Guy from tearing him to shreds as he explained why he was here.

"My name is Alphonse Elric!" he yelled out, but his opponent didn't slow. Al would have thought the guy would recognize 'Elric", but apparently the famous Elric brother's weren't all that famous everywhere. In this situation, the namedrop wouldn't be enough.

"I have a letter from Major Armstrong in Central that proves who I am!" he yelled, and Mohawk Guy paused.

"Whose name did you just say?" He kept his arms up in a fighting stance, but stood still. That was a start.

"Sir, Major Armstrong wrote this letter of introduction. If you could only let me go see the General-"

"Anyone can forge a letter," Does this guy never stop? His paranoia about spies was getting on Al's nerves, "I need more proof that you're not just here to try and kill us all."

But Al didn't have any more proof. He looked around nervously, trying to look for an easy way out of the entire situation, and found that he could actually see a lot better than earlier. The amount of wind and snow falling now was a dramatic decrease from mere minutes ago.

"Please just let me explain!" Al yelled again, but the scary mohawk guy with the deadly automail charged at him again. Apparently Mohawk Guy was so paranoid and upset about spies that he completely disregarded any attempt at normal conversation.

It wasn't until Al's giant opponent had almost reached him that Al was able to think of his newest strategy. He blocked the blows that came from Mohawk Guy's freakish 'crocodile' arm with his own fists, and returned a few. Now that Al was able to see a lot better, he found that he was able to be quicker and more precise with his hits. Mohawk Guy was knocked back a few steps, but suddenly charged Al once more, finally getting a hold of Al's left arm with his automail.

"Damn it!" Cried Alphonse, who was struggling with his other hand to try and pry the combat automail open. He was seriously concerned about his arm getting sawed in half. Finally, Al realized that the only way to prevent that was to get something caught in the workings of the automail. Glancing around at what he had nervously, Al concluded that he'd either have to somehow use his hand to stop the machine, or use his head to tangle it up. After a futile attempt with his hand, Al finally resigned to using his helmet.

His secret would be out after this, but at least he'd still remain alive and in one piece.

Using his right arm, Al pried his head off. A gasp came from his opponent, and using that momentary shock as an opening, Al jammed the head into the automail.

It took two seconds, but eventually the long strand of 'hair' Al was so proud of got stuck in the mechanical workings of Mohawk Guy's arm. Grinding noises ensued, and the chainsaw part of Mohawk Guy's arm stopped working. He cursed, and dropped Al's arm while trying to examine his own.

Alphonse spun away and readied himself for a continuation of the fight, but a sharp voice broke through the air, "Buccaneer! Who is this?"

Mohawk Guy- Buccaneer- stopped in his tracks and looked upward behind Al. This action caused the young alchemist to also turn his head. Behind him was a gigantic wall covered with patches of frost. And on a raised balcony on that wall stood the owner of the sharp voice who had yelled at Buccaneer. A woman with long blonde hair and an even longer sword stood above everyone else, staring down with a displeased expression on her face.

"General Armstrong, Sir! I didn't see you there!" Buccaneer snapped into an awkward salute (his right arm had a giant helmet hanging from it), then gestured to Alphonse. Some of the mountain guard had regrouped themselves enough to surround Al again, this time pointing all of their guns at the young alchemist. Al begrudgingly put his hands up in the air for everyone to see.

"Who are you and what business do you have here at Briggs?" The General demanded, a scowl never leaving her face. Despite the fact that this woman was supposedly the Major's sister, the two looked… different.

Olivier Mira Armstrong was not the happy, emotional, giant bundle of muscle that her brother was. Her blue eyes looked more cold and calculating than kind. Even though Al hadn't gotten to now General Armstrong at all, she was beginning to scare him more than teacher.

Al soon snapped out of his thoughts to respond, "My name is Alphonse Elric. Major Armstrong from Central sent me here to talk to the General in charge of this post," he hoped that answer would be enough to at least prompt General Armstrong to call the guard off.

"If you come in peace with the military, why were you fighting my men?" Was the General's reply. Okay, so she wasn't likely to call off her guards any time soon.

"I tried multiple times to tell them I was here on military business, but they attacked anyway," Al told her the truth. After seeing the General's expression change slightly, and her gaze wander over to where some of her men were knocked out in the snow, Al added, "I have a letter of introduction with me from Alex Louise Armstrong. I can get it out if you'd allow me to reach down for it."

"Search him," Came General Armstrong's curt reply. There was no possible way of hiding the fact that Al was hollow now, so he went ahead and opened his chest plate.

"What the hell?" Briggs soldiers and that Buccaneer guy all gasped at seeing Al's empty inside. Al just sighed, and allowed everyone to move closer in. He removed the letter, and one of the soldiers grabbed it and ran it up to Armstrong. The General grabbed the envelope, but kept her eyes glued to the hollow suit of armor down on the ground. Even though her reaction wasn't as explosive as everyone else's, her glare had become even more skeptical.

"That's the letter I was telling you about," Al called up to her, and watched the General examine the letter, raise an eyebrow, mumble something about Alex, and tear the paper into tiny shreds. That was rude; the Major said he'd used a fancy calligraphy technique to write that which had been passed down the Armstrong line for generations.

"That was definitely from Alex," She said, and tossed the paper shreds into the air behind her. What little wind remained from the earlier storm propelled them upward, into a giant wall Al hadn't noticed before. Holy crap, that was huge! It had to be at least 10 stories tall!

Before Al could express his excitement, another soldier called out, "Sir! This man has a silver State Alchemist pocketwatch!" That's right, Al had never thrown his fake watch away, and the thing had remained inside with the rest of his things.

"Silver pocketwatch, huh…" General Armstrong brought a hand up to her chin in a thinking gesture, "So that's why the name Elric sounded familiar. You're the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Buccaneer and the rest of the men looked shocked, and Al was glad he didn't have a face right now that could emote. He honestly didn't know what to do in this situation. If he chose to pretend to be the Fullmetal Alchemist again, he'd gain access to the fort, but he'd have to keep lying. And at some point, the soldiers in Briggs were sure to figure out he wasn't really state certified.

On the other hand, if he told the truth and said he'd faked the watch, there was no way anybody here would trust him. Sure, General Armstrong confirmed that the letter was from the Major, but other than that, Al had no real proof of identity. He didn't even have a passport.

"Enter, Fullmetal Alchemist," General Armstrong continued before Al had a chance to say anything to her, "I'd like to have a talk with you once we're inside."

With that, the General spun on her heels, her long hair swirling in the wind behind her and hand by the sword at her hip. She walked in a door at her level, leaving Alphonse to be dealt with by the Briggs soldiers. The way she spoke made Alphonse even more nervous; she didn't trust him anyway. Al believed that woman could probably tear him limb from limb and not even stop to bat an eye.

"Come on," Buccaneer glared at Alphonse and gestured him inside with his automail arm. Al closed himself back up and put his hands down for good. Yellow light flooded the air once a door to the fort had been opened, and Al stepped in, hoping he'd survive Briggs in one piece.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: The new chapter is here! Finally finals are over, and I have summer to relax and write this, along with maybe starting a new fic too. Who knows?

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter! Reviews are welcome and wonderful!

* * *

If there was one word Al could use to describe the Briggs Fortress, it would be spartan. Dark walls adorned only with heating pipes and electric lights led Al deeper into the fort, in hallways that never curved and never looked different. The slate-colored tiles covering the floor stretched on endlessly, only a few scuff marks indicating that people lived and worked inside the fortress. Al only caught glimpses of some of the rooms they passed, but none of those seemed any more embellished than the halls.

Captain Buccaneer grumbled as he led Al through the fort, occasionally yanking at the helmet tangled in his automail. The way that man was pulling, Al reckoned he might rip the piece of metal in two.

"I'm sorry my head got stuck in your arm, sir," He said tentatively, truly feeling sorry about causing some possible damage to the appendage, but also hoping to get the man to stop fuming. He didn't want his head to be damaged beyond recognition.

"Can it, kid," was Buccaneer's reply, "General Armstrong is the one who wanted to talk to you, not me."

"Oh, uh, sorry," Al mumbled in response and tried to focus on something else.

Even though General Armstrong had let him into the fort, and believed he was a state alchemist, Al still got the sinking feeling that none of these people actually trusted him very much. He was being escorted by some fairly high ranking officers, none of whom seemed to want to talk to him. Anyone they passed while walking around didn't look too kindly on the procession either.

Soon enough, Buccaneer brought Alphonse into what looked like an office, complete with a desk setup similar to Colonel Mustang's: one swiveling chair behind the desk, and a smaller one in front where the higher-ranking officer could interrogate subordinates. The wall coverings of the office were as sparse as the ones in the hallway, save for two swords hung up decoratively behind the desk.

Buccaneer gestured to the small chair in front of the desk, and Al quickly took his place on it. The thing was tiny, and Alphonse barely fit on, but he kept his balance and sat in silence until General Armstrong entered the room.

She spoke to nobody at first, allowing everyone to salute her. At first, Al just awkwardly sat there like he usually did when he was surrounded by saluting soldiers, like with the Colonel's team. After feeling the General's cold glance, however, Al was reminded that he was technically considered a soldier, and snapped his right arm up into the air.

"Sorry, General Armstrong," He almost chuckled nervously, "I don't exactly have a head right now."

"You will not address me until I address you, is that clear, Major Elric?" She sat herself down and leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, "Buccaneer, you now have my permission to go down to the mechanic's and get that untangled from your arm," She gestured to Al's limply hanging head, "Major Miles can take over escorting the Fullmetal Alchemist around from now on." Escorting him around? While Al didn't constantly feel the need to put his middle finger up at authority like Ed did, he still enjoyed having _some_ freedom.

"Sir!" Both Buccaneer and a man with white hair saluted.

"Now then," Olivier narrowed her eyes, "What made you decide to bypass the Northern Command Center before coming here?" That woman wasted no time with the questions.

"Well, as I mentioned before, Major Armstrong in Central assured me that I would be able to come to you for help. He even wrote that letter of introduction," Al replied, telling her the truth. In all honesty, due to the Major mentioning he had a 'lovely, sweet sister' up at Briggs, visiting Northern Command hadn't really crossed Al's mind.

"How is Alex doing, then?" The General rubbed her thumb over the hilt of her sword. Even though she'd seemed mean before, seeing the woman become interested in her family reassured Al slightly. She couldn't be that bad.

"He's doing great!" He chirped. He would have had a smile on his face, had he actually had one.

The General grimaced and clutched her sword tighter. Al stiffened. That was not the reaction he'd been hoping for. His hope faded as he realized the woman sitting in front of him hated one of the nicest men in Central.

"No matter," Armstrong ran a finger through her hair, "Now that we're done with the idle chitchat, I want to know something else…" She crossed her arms and stared at Al's blood seal, "Why is your armor empty? And what was so important to you that you needed my help to get it?"

The questions had been inevitable, but they still made Al cringe. He still hadn't fully worked out what he'd tell all these people. He couldn't tell her about any of the homunculi, or anything specific about Ed. So what _was_ safe to say, then?

As he was about to reply, the General tapped her foot on the ground, "I'm waiting, Fullmetal." Al did not like how the honorific rolled off her tongue. She said it like a true commander, with the full intention of using it to order Al around. Colonel Mustang never called Edward 'Fullmetal' in such an official tone.

"I came up here because I am following a little girl who knows Xingese alkahestry. I thought that it could help me get my brother and I back to normal."

That elicited an eyebrow quirk from Armstrong, "Your brother? And where is he now?"

"Central. He's trying to do things his own way while I do them mine," Al replied, still not lying to her.

"And why exactly is it that you and your brother feel the need to 'get your bodies back'? I want to know what happened," She narrowed her icy eyes, and Al was glad he didn't have a face to betray him with emotion. The General's arms were still crossed, but one of her gloved hands was inching toward the silver saber at her hip. Al knew he had to tell her something; he didn't doubt the General would do something painful if he didn't give her an outright answer.

"I'd prefer if I told you this alone, without anyone else in the room," Al told her, carefully gauging her reaction.

"I can assure you that we all have secrets up here in the North," She replied, her face remaining indifferent.

Al considered his options. It was either piss off the terrifying woman with a sword, or tell her, that white-haired Major Miles guy, and some other random soldiers that he and Ed committed the taboo.

"General Armstrong, I'd really rather prefer to talk alone. I have secrets that could get me arrested," Armstrong put a hand on her sword.

"Fine, Fullmetal Alchemist," Al still couldn't read the look on her face, "Everyone except Major Miles, get out."

The few soldiers standing in the back of the room exited, and the mysterious Major in dark glasses stayed like a shadow. His presence unnerved Alphonse slightly, due to the fact that he was still military personnel who could judge and report him.

"What I tell you right now can't leave this room," Al told them both. The corner of Armstrong's lip twitched upward.

"Just get on with it."

"My brother, Edward Elric and I lost parts of our bodies almost five years ago…" Al paused, preparing himself for the reactions of the Major and the General, "When we attempted human transmutation."

What Al had been prepared for was yelling, possibly even an attempt at his life. He might have imagined someone's jaw dropping to the floor in shock, or even eyes widening. General Armstrong humored Alphonse with none of the above. Instead of acting like a normal shocked, possibly horrified human being, she leaned forward, ice-cold eyes narrowed, and her chin rested on both of her hands. She spoke nothing, likely hoping for more of an explanation from the empty child in front of her.

"After the transmutation rebounded… My brother lost his left leg, and I lost my entire body," Al shuddered at the memory of blank, pristine emptiness, and the shining, demented smile of the thing called truth, "He sacrificed his right arm to bring my soul back and bond it to the armor."

Miles shifted behind Al, his movements on the wooden floor of the room creaking and groaning. Armstrong's chair made no noises as she pulled closer to the desk. Al stopped his explanation there, hoping not to give away more detail than necessary, but the General stared straight at his blood seal, unwavering.

"After that incident, brother got his automail, recovered from his surgery, and we set off on our quest to get back to normal. We figured that a state alchemist salary and access to the libraries would be helpful," Al kept this extremely vague. He felt bad implying that he was the Fullmetal Alchemist, but he would feel even worse lying outright to General Armstrong. Besides, even though he couldn't give off visual clues of lying, Al didn't know if he could pull it off.

"So," Armstrong drawled, her visible eye darting from Al's blood seal to Major Miles, "You committed the taboo and this selfish quest for your little alkahestry girl is what brought you to my fort. Your self-indulgent nonsense is what caused you to attack and injure some of the noble Amestrian soldiers keeping our border safe from attackers. And you think this little hunt of yours is important enough that I'd just drop everything and help…" She laughed, "You're incredibly foolish and naive for even coming up here. And even more foolish for thinking that I'd aid in this little personal quest."

Al stiffened again, feeling like he did whenever he forgot to oil his joints for weeks. Back in Central, Major Armstrong assured him over and over that his lovely sister, Olivier would help. Now that he'd actually met Olivier, Al was more sure she'd rip him limb from limb and throw him out of the fortress. She had every right to be suspicious of him, especially since the incident with the guards, and the fact that he'd only been let in over a lie; it would be fully within her rights to dismember him. However, she could have at least tried to sympathize with Al's struggle. She could have attempted to hide her visible dislike and distrust. The General could have at least let him down nicely about not wanting to find May.

Armstrong stared him down until a full smirk appeared on her lips, "The only thing keeping me from filling that suit of armor of yours with rocks and throwing you off the roof of this place is my own curiosity about this alkahestry girl you speak of," The blonde hair covering her right eye moved ever so slightly as she spoke.

Every word that came out of Major General Armstrong's mouth only confused Alphonse further. One second, he was sure that she'd melt him down and turn him into bullets, and the other, he was insanely hoping she'd make a good ally.

"Alkahestry is something Amestris doesn't have, and most people have never even heard of. If we got our hands on the skill, it would make an excellent weapon," She ran her thumb over the tip of her sword hilt again, looking off into the distance.

"Wait a second! Alkahestry is specialized for _healing_ , not _killing_!" Al burst out.

The General leaned back once more, "You understand nothing about me or the fort I run, boy. Drachma is constantly looking for new ways to attack us, so we have to find ways to beat them first," Her face now revealed lines of rage, "Living safely in Central, I'd assume that you haven't even seen anything close to what it's like defending the northern border."

Al almost argued back, but realized General Armstrong had a point. He'd never been in what one could almost call a warzone. Still, weaponizing alkahestry wasn't the way to go.

"The task of finding that alkahestry girl will be supervised by me, and carried out by my soldiers," Armstrong stood up, "You, meanwhile, will remain here in the fort."

She turned to Miles, "Take him to retrieve his head, then find him a suitable place to work," The General turned on her heel and walked out the door, Miles saluting her the whole way through. Al figuratively breathed a sigh of relief after she was gone, despite the fact that he didn't like how she planned on dealing with May.

The more Al thought about it, the more he realized that he was also excited to see the small girl and talk to her as much as he was excited to learn about alkahestry. The Xingese princess was actually very nice, and a little cute.

Major Miles quickly snapped Al out of those thoughts, "Fullmetal, come with me."

The two walked through the dreary halls once again, in silence like before. Al sensed that none of the Briggs soldiers completely trusted him, so he remained quiet as a mouse, hoping he wouldn't agitate them further.

* * *

"Piss off, Envy," Greed yawned at the other homunculus, causing it to cross its arms in contempt.

"I'm just reminding you to do your damn job, Greed," It replied with an overly-dramatic eye roll.

All the interactions between Greed and Envy lately have gone like this. It was honestly beginning to annoy Edward, even though he liked that the homunculi were infighting. Sure, it meant that his enemies were basically weakening themselves, but they were still extremely obnoxious. Envy's voice was the equivalent of hearing nails on a chalkboard.

"And I'm _doing_ my damn job, Envy," Ed could tell Greed was trying his absolute hardest not to stick his tongue out or put his middle finger up.

"If you're doing your job, then explain to me why you've come back with a grand total of _zero_ potential sacrifices for the Promised Day? Hmmm?" Envy spat out. Ed knew that they hadn't found anybody because both he and Greed declared each new potential candidate not to be audacious enough to open the portal. Well… That and the shopping trips.

"Because you assholes haven't even fully explained to me what the 'Promised Day' is! I know that's when everything's supposed to go down but _what the hell is going down_?" Greed articulated slowly, acting like Envy was an even bigger idiot than it was.

At the mention of the promised day, Ed perked his ears up. Ever since first hearing about that mysterious day, he'd been hoping someone would explain it to Greed. Unfortunately, all of Greed's 'brothers' were still suspicious of him; he was in Ed's body, after all. Not that they had a bad reason to be suspicious, but Ed was still bothered.

"Did you hear me, Envy?" Greed asked after a borderline awkward silence, "I want to know exactly what's happening on the promised day."

"Father's plan is being implemented, and we need five damn sacrifices. We only have three we can be sure of right now, and that's partially your fault!" Was the answer Envy spat back.

" _Well it's not like I was_ trying _to get my body hijacked by a homunculus_ ," Ed deadpanned, feeling satisfaction at his words even though there was no possible chance Envy heard them.

" _Actually I distinctly remember you jumping in front of the stone and agreeing to this_ ," Then, turning to Envy, "This midget's-" MIDGET? "-body was only accidentally given to me, and if I remember correctly, you were one of the ones who should have stopped him from sacrificing himself for our cause a couple months too early," He put a hand on Ed's chin, "And I was a literal rock when everything happened, so blaming me is rather moronic, don't ya think?"

For about five seconds, Ed could have sworn Envy would spontaneously combust with anger, but instead, it just stood there, seething.

"Fine, Greed, if you really can't be cooperative, maybe I just won't tell you anything at all," Envy's gritted teeth made its response somewhat difficult to comprehend.

"Then I'll just ask Wrath or someone else," Replied Greed in a bratty tone of voice.

"You're so insufferable that they won't want to talk to you either," These homunculi were seriously acting like children today. Ed sighed again.

Watching a bunch of immortal monsters agitate each other and act like petulant children was starting to get old. At first, it was amusing to see Envy want to tear its hair out, and Greed want to throw his tacky sunglasses at someone's head. It was almost like watching some kind of comedic play. Now, though, after days of Greed and Envy constantly at each others' throats, Gluttony wandering around either crying about Lust or arguing with someone about his next meal, Wrath being his angry, brooding self, and Father just sitting on his obnoxious little 'throne', Ed wanted it to end.

Sure, he and Al fought a bunch, over dumb stuff like cats, or that one time Ed wanted to transmute Al's armor into an oven so he could heat up leftovers, but usually, he and Al stopped arguing about the idiotic topic and came to a definitive conclusion about what to do. These monsters, however, figured that since they had eternity to live, they had eternity to bicker about the same damn thing. Ed was sick of the whole 'Why can't we just kill that dumb Xingese brat who saw us turn that midget into Greed?' argument that Envy just _loved_ dredging up every few days with _everyone_.

Every time, it was always, "Because, Envy, he's a pathetic human who's god-knows-where by now", but Envy still passionately waved its hands up in the air to explain that Ling was a threat to security, and needed to be eliminated. Even if it meant expending effort and resources into the cause. Greed sure as hell didn't feel like hunting down a Xingese prince, and all the other homunculi were either too busy (Wrath, Sloth, and Pride), or too incompetent (Gluttony) to search. And Envy- that absolute asshole- would rather not 'waste its time' looking for such an insignificant human.

Honestly, Ed had wanted to punch that insufferable worm in the face since day one, but now he was even contemplating taking control of his body again just to do it.

" _Greed,_ " He began, " _Just stop being a jackass and ask it nicely about the Promised Day_."

" _That little miscreant has been on my case since the first day we met, and I'm tired of it,_ " Greed growled back.

" _Yeah, me too, but you don't have to listen to your bickering,"_ Ed put his hand on his hip, " _Besides, I thought you two were brothers who cared about each other_ so much."

Greed's mouth twisted into something awful, and Ed instantly regretted crossing that line again, " _I swear, I will-"_

" _You'll kill me? Yeah, I've heard. At least then I wouldn't have to listen to this bullshit with Envy every day."_

" _Kid,_ " Greed began, but soon paused, " _You know what, never mind. Like I told Envy earlier, I'll just ask someone else about all this 'Promised Day' crap._ "

He turned on Ed's heels, loose blonde hair flowing behind him, and made his exit, ignoring the glares Envy sent his way. Greed stomped down the tunnel leading out of Father's lair, moving along toward Central Command. Was Greed really about to ask Wrath about the Promised Day?

Wrath arguably hated him more than Envy. That was saying something.

For a while, Ed's tactic had been just annoying the hell out of Greed, and he would have capitalized on this prime opportunity to grind Greed's nerves. However, even though very little of the arguing that day had been done by Ed, he was still tired of it. If Greed wanted to deal with Wrath, that was fine, and his choice, and it would also get the job done. Besides, Ed actually desperately wanted to know about the Promised Day himself.

So he just sat back and bid his time as Greed marched his way past other officers and into the Fuhrer's office.

* * *

"My hair!" Al shrieked at the sight of his helmet. Unfortunately, the long tassel of 'hair' he'd used to jam Buccaneer's automail had been lopped right off, leaving only short, crumpled strands behind.

It was a little dumb- caring so much about a relatively small decorative element on his helmet- but Al's hair had given him a small sense of pride and happiness. Being trapped as a suit of armor meant that he really didn't have a lot of chance to customize his look. Sure, the 'hair' hadn't been a conscious choice of Al's, but he liked the way it decorated the otherwise monotonous steel of his body.

And now that the split, uneven ends of it poked out from the helmet, Al couldn't help but scream a little.

"Your 'hair' almost ruined my automail!" A still-angry Buccaneer glared.

"I'm sorry, but it was the only way to stop you from attacking me," The gigantic man in front of Al still scared him, but Al wasn't about to back down.

"Whatever," Buccaneer crossed his arms, and Al noticed that the giant chainsaw-like attachment was gone. In its place was an arm that actually looked like an arm. Well, more like an arm.

It was still large, and audacious, and somehow tipped with actual claws, but it was more or less a normal arm. Buccaneer sure enjoyed a pretty flashy sense of style. He had automail like Al had never seen in real life before, and a unique hairstyle with his mohawk. The thought that he and Ed might get along briefly crossed Al's mind before he remembered Buccaneer's intense distrust of anyone who showed up at Briggs.

Buccaneer also maintained that strict, authoritative aura Ed hated. 'Oh well,' thought Al, abandoning the idea completely.

"Now that you've regained your… head…" Miles peered at the suit of armor through his dark glasses, "The General wants you working someplace."

"Um, alright," Al stood up straighter. He had heard Armstrong earlier when she wanted him doing some kind of job around the fort, but he hadn't expected having to do work in the first place.

Being treated like an actual soldier was something Alphonse wasn't used to, and something he hoped never to get used to. The realization that everyone in the fort ranking higher than 'Major' could order him around had honestly taken Al by surprise. And being able to take and carry out commands was the number one job of any soldier.

Despite the part about the orders, though, working made sense. Al might have even volunteered to help around the fort. He didn't like just sitting around, doing nothing, while everyone else around him struggled. It just wasn't fair.

"So, Fullmetal Alchemist, I think your job around here will be breaking icicles," Miles explained as they walked down yet another drab, monotonous hallway.

"Breaking icicles?"

"Yes. The icicles around many of the terraces need to be broken off, or else they could fall and kill someone," Miles made no attempt to comfort Alphonse, or cushion his feelings. Another perk of being a soldier now.

"So, an icicle here could really kill someone?" Al asked tentatively.

"Yes," Tone still unwavering, Miles continued, "Up north, the law that governs the land is survival of the fittest. Everything up here is against you, both nature and the monolith that is Drachma. Only the strongest soldiers can survive, and that requires both luck and skill," He paused and looked into Al's eyes, "We're helping a little with the luck part by keeping these icicles from impaling anyone who happens to walk by."

If Al had real eyes, he would have widened them in shock, "Alright, Major. I guess That's a very good reason to break down icicles," Coming up to Briggs alone was one of the scariest choices Al had made in his life, and he would have regretted it, had Ed's fate not been on the line.

"We'll reach the outside balconies after we pass through the development sector," A large steel door opened, and Al immediately heard metal clanging against metal, and the spark of something being welded down.

Soon, gleaming, gray tanks came into view, and Al gasped, "Whoa, what is this place for?"

"General Armstrong had the idea to research all the latest technological developments and turns them into weapons in our arsenal. Everything is utilized here, from tanks, to even combat automail," Miles walked stiffly though, keeping his back straight and his head held high.

"Wow," The weapons part of the development center, Al wasn't the absolute biggest fan of, but the idea of an entire facility for research excited him.

"Now," Miles led Al down some stairs and into a room packed with large pipes, "After you break the icicles you can come down here and help the maintenance crew clean up and sweep. This is the lowest level of the fort, where all the heating pipes and basic operations lead to."

"Okay, Major Miles," Al replied, taking in the sight. A small crew was already down there, moving some equipment around.

Stepping even further in front of Al, Miles called out to them, "Hey, men, this boy here is the Fullmetal Alchemist, Alphonse Elric. After he's done breaking icicles outside, he will be joining you down here."

"Sounds good, Major," A man in a yellow cap called out in reply. He turned back to what he was doing, and Miles turned on his heels.

"Let's go-" He began, but paused and glanced downward. Miles looked back at the crew, and saw that they had stopped as well. Al became very confused, but then he heard his armor rattle, indicating a tremor in the Earth.

"What was that?" He asked, even more confused than Miles.

There was silence, but eventually, the Major looked up and gave Al a terrifying, cryptic answer, "Something's moving down there."


	13. Chapter 13

"I don't care that he's a state alchemist," General Armstrong paused in the middle of explaining to Buccaneer, "I can tell he hasn't told me the full story, and until he does, we need to watch him closely."

"I agree, General" Came Buccaneer's curt reply.

Alphonse Elric, despite seeming nice, if not a little naive, had not made the best first impression on Armstrong. That idiot had just waltzed in, expecting to be accommodated, knowing nothing about the terrain or company he would be in. He'd been extremely hesitant to divulge the truth about his hollow body, as if he expected to stay here for weeks without having to give an explanation.

Yes, Alphonse was a child, and Olivier understood that, however, the most heavily fortified military compound in Amestris was no place for a child, state alchemist or not. And if Fullmetal insisted on coming into one, he would not be treated as a child anymore.

That sneaky alchemist was still keeping secrets. Even though he didn't have a face, or really any features that could give visual cues, Armstrong just had a feeling. The way he carefully chose his words during his story, and the way he seemed to tense up whenever he spoke of his brother, she knew Alphonse was not coming completely clean. What that child was hiding from her, the General couldn't fathom, but she was determined to find it out.

"I plan on-" She began again to her Captain, but almost lost her footing as the ground below her shook. Loud rumbling echoed from below, and the General leaned against her sword to steady herself, "Buccaneer! Find out what the hell that-" An alarm began blaring, its shrill, monotonous sound drowning Armstrong's words.

"Damn," she whispered, and gave her subordinate a steely glance. He understood, and sprinted off toward the control room. She, meanwhile, listened to the ground, and determined that something was happening on one of the lower levels.

Wasn't that where Miles had taken Fullmetal? Armstrong's mind immediately put the pieces together, and clenched her sword even tighter. If it was that alchemist causing trouble, General Armstrong resolved then and there to take him apart, piece by piece, and throw him out into the blizzard.

* * *

 _Homunculus_. The hulking monster that had broken through dirt, concrete, and steel pipes down in the fort's basement was one of them. The scarlet ouroboros marring the thing's shoulder denoted as much.

How the hell had they found out about Al coming to Briggs? He'd only told his closest allies, none of whom were likely to betray him. Only regular townspeople had talked to him on his journey up north. Al had been so careful to avoid trying to anger the homunculi, not only in fear of what they'd do to him, but also what Greed could do to Ed.

So which homunculus even was this? The only two left who Al hadn't met yet were Pride and Sloth.

Crashing sounds from a few feet away broke Al out of his thoughts. It didn't matter which one of the homunculi this was. The only important thing about it was that it was here now, and it was destroying the room. Before anything else, Al needed to find out how to stop it.

"Dig a tunnel…" The monster grumbled, his voice deeper than almost anything Al had heard before, "Digging is a pain…" It turned around, and smashed a pipe to its left, ignoring Al to its right. That was odd. Shouldn't the homunculus be fighting his hardest to try and fight Al for leaving Central?

"Elric!" Major Miles shouted at the young alchemist, in between the blaring of the alarm, "Get out of its way!" The military man had a gun trained on the gargantuan homunculus. Little did Miles know that homunculi could get shot and treat the wound as a normal human might treat a mosquito bite. A minor annoyance.

Nonetheless, Al dove out of the way and watched the Major fire his pistol. Three bullets hit the beast in the back, right beneath his tattoo... and bounced off. How was that possible? With Lust, the Lieutenant shot her, but the bullets had hit, and they'd stayed in. Sure, Lust was able to regenerate and try to kill everyone mere seconds later, but the bullets at least hindered her for those few, crucial moments.

"What the hell…" Miles exclaimed to nobody in particular, and fired once more. This bullet bounced again, and lodged itself into the ground near Al's feet.

"Hey! Homunculus!" Al took matters into his own hands and yelled at the thing. It slowly turned its head around to face Al, then closed its eyes. What was this monster expecting? Were the eyes its weakness, and did he need to protect them? Al clapped his hands and transmuted a sword from the ground, hoping that he could reach the homunculus' face better. He was about to charge before he heard a loud... Was that a snore from the beast's mouth? What the hell?

Was this thing _sleeping_?

"Hey!" This was infuriating, "Is this thing asleep?!" Al yelled, now even more thoroughly confused as to what was going on. Why would anyone send a homunculus after him that would just slumber instead of fight?

Then and there, Al reasoned that this one had to be Sloth. Pride wouldn't just pass out like this in the middle of a battle. Pride would also probably never complain about how tiring digging a tunnel would be.

"Miles! I think it's really sleeping!" Al yelled back to the soldier, an angry tone in his voice. While he wasn't happy about a homunculus showing up in the first place, a homunculus falling asleep instead of fighting was even more infuriating. Was Al just not important enough to fight?

The Major frowned, "I can see that, Fullmetal! What the hell do we do with it?" He was also infuriated, judging by his tone of voice.

That loud voice, that caused the homunculus to twitch and open its eyes, "So… Tired... " It swung its arms out in front of it, and Al took another step back. None of Sloth's attacks looked especially coordinated or planned out; the thing just lumbered on, hitting whenever he saw a potential obstacle.

Sloth walked away from Al, toward some more pipes and a few supply carts. Nobody was there, but Al got a sinking feeling in his chest. The monster picked up a cart and threw it at a pipe, causing steam to gush out. Miles and the others coughed, but kept their eyes trained on the homunculus. The next cart it lifted, Sloth threw it to the side, close to a small group of workmen huddled in the corner, but not close enough to hit them.

The third, and last supply cart, however, Sloth grabbed with its oversize arms, and launched backwards, over his head toward the spot where Major Miles stood.

Acting quickly, Al clapped his hands, watching as blue light raced across the floor. The Major stumbled back, but a stone barrier rose up from the ground in front of him, shielding from the impact of the supply cart.

The cart hit the wall, making a nasty crunching sound, and sending chunks of rock and supply everywhere. One hit Miles square in the head, knocking the man completely to the ground, shattering his dark sunglasses.

"Major!" Al shouted, running toward the soldier as Sloth hit another large pipe.

Miles grunted, and sat up from the ground, clutching his bleeding head, "I'm fine, Fullmetal, you need to focus on fighting that monster," He kept his eyes closed, and brushed off fragments of dark glass from his cheeks.

"I need to make sure you're alright," Al countered, hovering over Miles in case Sloth attempted another attack.

"I told you, I'm fine, Fullmetal," Miles replied, his voice considerably harder than it was earlier, "That thing is going to destroy something vital if you don't go over there and stop it."

"You sure you can get back up alright?" One last time, Al asked the Major.

"Yes, Fullmetal," Miles groaned, but lurched to his feet, "Now go," He opened his eyes and looked long and hard at the suit of armor he thought was the Fullmetal Alchemist. Al nodded, but only after holding back a gasp at the fact that the image of Miles' eyes, crimson as the blood running from his head wound, burning into his head.

* * *

"Greed… What brings you here?" Wrath placed his teacup on a china coaster, hearing the satisfying clink of the ceramic and staring at the homunculus in front of him.

"Wrath…" Wrath's blonde-haired brother stared back at him, "The others are being insufferable again, and I need you to tell me something."

Wrath folded his own two hands together, and unease spread through Ed's insides as he watched 'King Bradley's' dark eye land on him, "Really, Greed? And what exactly is so crucial that you needed to run to me for help to get it?"

"The Promised Day," Greed crossed his arms, "What the hell is it?"

"I'm sure you've been told that's the day Father intends to utilize his five sacrifices in order to achieve ultimate power. I believe I was there when they told you that," Wrath's black eye settled on Greed's violet one, almost snake-like.

"Yeah, and that's about all I've heard about it."

Calmly, Wrath leaned back in his chair, "What else do you want to know?"

" _Greed, I'm not sure it was such a good idea coming here to talk to him_ ," Ed interjected before the homunculus could say anything to the Fuhrer, " _I don't trust him_."

" _Kid, trust him or not, he's our last bet in getting information right now, so he's who we're gonna talk to_ ," A blunt reply from Greed, but not one that completely pleased Edward. Wrath remained in his chair during the conversation between Greed and his host, staring them down as if he were searching for weaknesses. Surely Greed could see that too…

" _Look, Greed, all I'm saying is that this guy doesn't like you any better than the rest of those jackasses down there, and he's looking at my body like it's his prey or something. It's creeping me out_ ," Ed huffed, but was ignored. Damn, stupid Greed.

"I want to know where I'm going to be during this whole Promised Day thing," The younger homunculus narrowed his eyes at the older, "I want to know exactly what role I'm expected to play for this."

Then, to Ed, _"I'm not completely stupid, shrimp. I have thought about what I'm going to say_."

"Your role, Greed, thus far, has been gathering potential sacrifices for the Promised Day. As you might recall, we only have three candidates at the moment, one of which hasn't even opened the portal," Wrath began, his tone condescending, but eerily calm.

"None of those dumbass alchemists you ask me to look at have the guts or the skill to open the portal," Greed retaliated, also controlling his anger.

"Yes, but it would seem that you haven't exactly looked at all of them," Another quiet clang came from Wrath as he picked his teacup up with one hand, "I know you've been skipping out on your job."

" _Greed, don't say anything stupid_ ," Cautioned Ed as the homunculus planned his next response. Wrath was an extremely temperamental homunculus, even more so than Envy, and might explode at any time. Yes, 'King Bradley' was excellent at keeping his true nature hidden under the guise of peaceful, family-loving Fuhrer, but there was no need to pretend around Greed. There was no need to hold back either.

"Well, Wrath, we took one look at the papers, and those pictures you gave me, and realized that none of these idiots were right for the job," An eyeroll punctuated the end of Greed's sentence.

"And who is this 'we' you talk about, Greed?" Shit.

" _God dammit, Greed_ ," Hissed Ed, not sure exactly what Wrath was planning on doing.

" _Fuck,_ " Greed hissed back, his eyes flitting from the older homunculus in front of him to Edward fuming inside.

" _Yeah, Greed, you've fucked up_ ," The alchemist couldn't hold himself back from saying that.

"This 'we' I talk about…" Greed trailed off, but had a revelation of sorts mid-way and began again, "It's the Fullmetal shrimp's brother, who you also asked me to watch over."

" _Don't drag Alphonse into this!_ " There were quite a few times Edward had yelled at Greed, but this was definitely one of the most ferocious ones. That asshole couldn't just pull Al into whatever the hell was going on with Wrath. Al was the one person out of everyone who deserved to stay free and safe.

" _It's either Wrath yells at your brother or me, and I choose that twelve year old,_ " Ed's jaw dropped, and he wished more than ever that he could punch stupid Greed in his stupid face.

" _I swear, Greed, if you cause any trouble for Al, I will find a way to cough up this damn philosopher's stone that holds your personality, put it in a pepper grinder, then flush the ground up pieces down a toilet_ ," However ridiculous the threat may have sounded, it was not an empty one. If Greed did a single thing to hurt Al, that bastard would be the one getting hurt in the end.

Wrath's black mustache twitched, "As much as I'd like to believe that, Greed, I'm afraid I don't," he set his dainty cup down once more.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" It took all of Greed's self control not to snarl.

" _I'm not complaining,_ " Ed shrugged, but soon saw the look in Wrath's eye, " _But this slimy bastard is up to something_ ," Was that a smirk on Wrath's face?

"What that means, is that it couldn't have been Alphonse Elric, because that boy left town to go who knows where, days ago," The smirk disappeared, and glower took its place, "You've been skipping out on your job, and you have some explaining to do."

* * *

"Hey, ugly!" That was the only thing Al could muster out to get Sloth's attention without sounding weird, or giving away the fact that Sloth was a homunculus.

'Ugly' turned its head, presenting a slack-jawed, unfocused stare at Al. It dropped the piece of pipe it was currently using to bang against the other ones, and leaned against another cluster of pipes, the metal crunching under its massive weight, "Huh…"

"Yeah, you!" Al taunted once more, not bothering to transmute himself a weapon. He was better at hand-to-hand combat and transmuting the ground anyway.

The teen was about to let loose another insult when he heard a commanding voice yell, "Yeah who, exactly?" behind him. Cringing half out of fear, half out of shock, Al watched General Armstrong's cold blue eyes scan the scene from a balcony above.

"What the hell is that thing?" Never before had Al seen the General loose even a bit of her cool, but the commander's mouth was obviously fighting its hardest not to drop. Al understood; he'd be shocked and horrified if a gargantuan homunculus tore into his home and began flinging things in every direction.

Sloth glanced up the General, but decided she wasn't worth the fight and turned back to Alphonse and the pipes. Al must not have answered Armstrong's question well enough, because the woman soon shouted, "When you entered this fortress, I gave you the order to answer all of my questions clearly and completely! Now talk, Elric!" She pointed at the homunculus, "What the hell is this thing?"

It was a homunculus. It was one of the seven monsters created by Father in Central to help him complete whatever nefarious plans he had. It was here for reason's Al could only guess. But he couldn't tell any of that to General Armstrong. Homunculi, Father, or any similar talk could only get him and the people he cared about hurt, and Al couldn't risk that.

"It's..."

"Spit it out!"

"I can't!"

Chilling eyes narrowed, and Armstrong's finger twitched on the silver hilt of her sword, "What do you mean, you 'can't'?"

Again, a rare wave of relief crashed over Al at the fact that he didn't have a body. If he did, it would have betrayed him by looking utterly terrified at his situation. If he told the General, the homunculi were sure to come after him and kill him, but if he didn't tell the General, she was sure to do the same. However, General Armstrong was not in a position to hurt Edward. She didn't have that one crucial string to dangle over his head, and that was what cost her the answers she seeked.

"I mean I just can't tell you!" Al yelled back up at the angry, armed officer.

"Fine," She spat, her tone disgusted, "Do you know why that thing is here?"

That question made Al pause. He had his hunches, but the way Sloth was tearing things up aimlessly invalidated almost all of those, "No, not really."

"Where did that thing come from?"

"I…" It was from Central, that was for sure. Homunculi all came from Father and his lair. However, even just saying 'Central' would prompt more questions, "I can't say that, either!"

"Have you met that thing before?" Armstrong's tone was more ferocious than ever.

"No… This is the first time I've seen it," At least for that question, Al could tell the complete truth.

The General paused, grip still tight on her weapon, "Who does that thing work for?"

"I can't tell you!"

"Why can't you tell me?"

"I can't tell you that either!"

Any moment, Al expected General Armstrong to explode at him, somehow get down to his level in seconds, and make an even scarier threat than Sloth. However, the General remained frozen in her place, only her eyes flicking back and forth between the monster and the traitorous 'state alchemist'. On the receiving end of her glare, Alphonse also stood frozen in place. He dared not move, should his actions seem suspicious to anyone at Briggs. Nobody here trusted him.

"I have one last question for you, Fullmetal Alchemist," Armstrong unsheathed her sword and pointed its tip downward at Al, "Are you going to help us stop that thing, or are you in league with it?"

"That monster needs to be stopped, and I'll help with whatever plan you have," The bold words flew out of Al's mouth, and for the first time since he arrived at Fort Briggs, Al felt like he'd said the right thing. General Armstrong's mouth quirked the slightest bit upward, and she whirled around, exiting through the door in which she entered, barking orders at the men in the development center.

Suddenly, the blaring alarm ceased, and mechanical whirring from up above replaced it. Al turned his attention back to Sloth, who had given up throwing things around, and was now wandering toward a group of workmen. No- Sloth was wandering toward the elevator next to the workmen.

It was going to get up to the development center if it knew the correct lever to pull.

"Fullmetal!" Major Miles yelled, at the young alchemist, obviously seeing the same danger.

"I'm on it!" Replied Al, but the act of doing so cost him those few, crucial seconds he would have needed to transmute something to block the elevator. Without it, Sloth rose upward unimpeded, in the direction nobody wanted it to go.

* * *

"Turn that damn alarm off! We can't let Drachma know we're under attack!" The General yelled at her men, watching as a small group scurried off to a control panel. A different group of men grabbed a grenade launcher, and handed the thing to Olivier.

She took hold of it, and ran back out to the balcony, searching for the gargantuan beast. Her eyes scanned the scene, and caught Alphonse Elric running toward the moving elevator, which held her target. How did those imbeciles allow that monster onto the one platform that gave him access to the rest of the fort?

Fighting the urge to reprimand Fullmetal and Miles, Armstrong instead turned her attention to her incoming threat.

"Men, move out of the way of the elevator!" She steadied the grenade launcher on her shoulder, then took aim.

Soldiers scurried out of the way, knowing full well that the General would fire her weapon, no matter who was in the way. It wasn't that the General didn't care about her men. In fact, it was the exact opposite. The soldiers General Armstrong trained at Briggs were her pride and joy, and it would wound her deeply to see any injured. However, wounding a few in order to save the fort and the rest of the soldiers in it was always an open option. That monster was going to go down before he could do much more damage.

As the last man ducked out, the General lined the crosshairs of her weapon up with the middle of the monster's chest. She took in a breath and steadied the grenade launcher on her shoulder. The elevator stopped, Olivier let out half her breath, then fired.

Orange streaked through the air and smoke billowed outward as the General took in another gulp of air. She hit the thing dead on- she knew that much- but until all the smoke cleared, and all the fire was gone, leaving only ashes of Briggs' unwelcome intruder, could Olivier breathe peacefully.

"Someone, put it out!" She barked orders impatiently, not taking her eyes off the black streaked ground and the cloud of smoke.

Someone did come with a fire extinguisher, and Armstrong steeled herself in expectation of charred carnage.

Charred carnage, however, was not what the General laid her eyes on as soon the man with an extinguisher finished his job dropped everything he was holding, and ran away in fear.

That hulking beast still stood tall, not a single scratch on its body. It caused Armstrong to have to do a double-take. She was positive she hit the thing. It was a large target, and she knew her way around grenade launchers. Hell, even the scorch marks branching out on the ground all led to the impact point- where that monster was standing. So how in the hell was it still alive?

"General!" A shout came from behind the woman, from a still-running Alphonse Elric bounding up the last few stairs, "That's not going to work!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" She barked, not taking her eyes off the intruder. It took a step forward, giving no indication that it had even been near a grenade blast.

"It means," Came a voice from behind Alphonse, "That When I tried shooting at it with my pistol, the bullets just bounced off," Major Miles came up the stairs as well, although with more difficulty than the armored alchemist, and clutching his bleeding head.

"What?!" Olivier growled, reloading her weapon despite what Miles and Fullmetal had just told her.

A monster this size that bullets just _bounced off of_ was impossible. An intruder that managed to break through a concrete floor and enter her fortress was impossible. Anything withstanding a direct hit from her grenade launcher was just impossible.

"Listen, General," the Fullmetal Alchemist pleaded, "We can't kill this thing, no matter what we throw at it."

"We still need to get rid of it somehow!" Armstrong replied as she finished reloading, but didn't put the launcher back on her shoulder. It was true that they needed to get rid of the monster, and it was partially true what Elric had told her. There had to be some way to kill the monster. Everything died; that was a fact. She just had to be more creative with her methods.

"General!" Yet another voice called out from behind her, this time causing Olivier to whirl around, coming face to face with one of the development team's new inventions, "Perhaps this could cause it some damage."

 _Yes_ , she thought, taking in the sight in front of her. Cold steel glinted light coming from the bright fluorescents above, illuminating the room further. The smell of fuel and oil assaulted her nose, and the hum of an engine filled her ears. _A tank just might be able to cause some damage._

* * *

Some explaining. That might have been the greatest understatement in the history of understatements. Because not only did Greed have to come up with a story good enough to satiate Wrath, but he also had to come up with a story good enough to satiate the infuriated Fullmetal Alchemist in his head.

 _Alphonse left town_. Ed's little brother had just up and left without him even hearing about it, and now, more than ever, Ed was consumed with worry. Who gave a shit about the homunculus controlling his body when his little brother was who knows where doing God knows what? Al could be anywhere in Amestris for all Ed knew, or even out of Amestris. Maybe Ling chickened out on his search for immortality, skipped town, and brought Al along with him on a dangerous journey across the desert.

Even more pressing, what the hell could Alphonse be doing? Al was tough, and could handle himself in a fight, but both brothers unanimously agreed that they faced enemies better together. If Al was up against someone like Scar again, there was no way he was coming out unscathed. It had taken four alchemists, a whole squadron of normal soldiers, and one extremely talented sniper just to scare Scar away. How the hell could Al do something like that alone?

"So, Greed," Wrath tilted his head sideways, obviously enjoying the fact that the younger homunculus had been cornered, "Where is Alphonse Elric, the boy I specifically asked you to keep an eye out for?"

"You may have told me to watch him, but then you went and gave me other things to do. How the hell am I supposed to babysit and do alchemist house visits at the same time?" Retaliated Greed, trying futilely to dig himself out of his hole.

"You know as well as I do that you skipped out on those little assignments I gave you and opted for leisure instead," Came Wrath's reply, which was an extremely logical one, "I'm sure that instead of buying those gaudy sunglasses, you could have been actively helping the rest of us."

" _He's right, you bastard,_ " Seethed Edward, who was still not completely sure what he wanted to say to his greedy parasite.

" _You know what, Fullmetal shrimp, you were just as on board with the shopping trips as I was, so you can shut your damn mouth and realize your place in this situation,_ " Ed wouldn't exactly say Greed was seething, but the homunculus was peeved and almost snapping at Ed.

" _My place, Greed, is with Alphonse, who you conveniently forgot about, then tried to pin your mistakes on earlier. I don't want to hear another word about 'my place',"_ Greed's shrimp comment made Ed want to lash out even more, but he kept himself composed, and his mind ready to come up with a plan to reunite with Al.

" _Did you even hear the first part of my sentence?"_ The homunculus laughed wryly, " _I'd like to remind you that you were the one who encouraged skipping the assignments because those 'lameass alchemists' just didn't have the guts to open the portal."_

Actually, Greed was not wrong about that. There was no way Ed could deny he rejected many of those potential candidates based on their pictures and what little information there was about them. But that was no reason for Greed to insinuate he willingly abandoned his little brother. Was it?

It wasn't like Ed had forced Greed to ever go check up on Alphonse, just pop in to see how the younger Elric was doing. Ed had never reminded Greed about Al wandering around, all alone, no matter how often Al came up in Ed's thoughts. Could he really be blamed for such negligence? Could he really be blamed for Alphonse going _missing_?

This wasn't supposed to be how everything went down. Ed wasn't supposed to be feeling so useless and shitty and alone. He was supposed to be with Al, dammit. The brothers were still supposed to be travelling around Amestris, searching their very best to regain their bodies. Al wasn't supposed to be wandering alone, abandoned by his older brother because Ed had chosen to allow a homunculus to take over.

" _You shut your mouth, Greed,"_ Was all Ed could muster, his tongue caught by all the thoughts and emotions writhing around in his brain.

Greed ignored him, something which simultaneously relieved and infuriated Edward, and turned instead to reply to Wrath.

"Well, _Fuhrer Bradley_ , you know as well as I do that what you were trying to get me to do was just busywork, and it threatened to consume almost all of my time. I had to pick some occasion to go shopping," Okay, so it wasn't a solid excuse, but at least it was some sort of retaliation from Greed.

"Obviously I wouldn't think of it as busywork," Wrath still remained eerily calm as Greed and Ed's blood boiled, "You came barging in here demanding to know about the Promised Day, and what your role in it was. Let me tell you this much, Greed, your role was to help find and contain five sacrifice candidates. This is an extremely important role, due to the fact that the success of this plan hinges on us acquiring these sacrifices in order for Father to use. You, instead of doing your duty to your creator, chose to run rampant in Central's shopping district, caring more about coordinating your vests and tight pants than about the future of your country and your family.

"Greed, I think you've spectacularly failed at both jobs I set you out to do, and I think unless you shape up soon, there will be consequences," Wrath narrowed his beady eye, staring right through Greed and into Ed. The way that monster seemed to be able to peer into someone's soul was terrifying.

"You can't deliberately keep secrets from me about all this Promised Day bullshit then get angry when I don't understand the scope of the situation!" Greed burst out before Wrath could elaborate on what 'consequences' meant.

"You can't honestly believe that we wouldn't be the least bit skeptical about your new body," The Fuhrer leaned forward in his chair, "We weren't sure how well you would bond to and control your new body, so we took some precautions. But still, Greed, Father created you, he gave you your entire purpose, and you just want to throw it all away by not listening?"

"Well…" The thought tapered out. Wrath had obviously been rehearsing this argument in his head for a while, as if the bastard had expected Greed to throw his little tantrum. That, more than anything else, seemed to insult Greed. Sure, he may not have always been the perfect son, but he'd never gone against Father, and he'd never done anything to seriously jeopardize any of the other homunculi. They had no reason to still be prejudiced toward him, other than his history, and they all claimed _that_ had been wiped away long ago.

"You know what, Wrath?" Greed clenched his automail fist, hearing his steel fingertips make contact with his palm with a _clink,_ "I've done nothing to any of you, but you still hate and mistrust me. You have no justified reason to do so, and I think I'm willing to face whatever fucking 'consequences' you throw at me until you treat me with respect."

"Really, Greed?" _Yes, really_. But Greed was in no mood to reply to that perverse old man.

In an action that seemed like déjà vu to Ed, Greed stormed out of the office, marching toward who knew where to fume about how awful his life was.

While normally, Ed would be completely on board with Greed tearing the bonds of the homunculi apart, today was different. Alphonse was missing, and Ed needed to somehow find his little brother. Once this little shit of a homunculus exited Central Command, Ed was going to make his move and start setting his own plans in action.

* * *

A/N: Happy 15th anniversary of FMA! Thanks for bearing with me for the long wait this time!

Thanks for all the feedback on this story so far! Don't be afraid to drop a review telling me what you liked/ hated about the new chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: This chapter has been brought to you by copious amounts of salted caramel ice cream and Arnold Palmer. It's been a crazy few weeks for me, honestly. Summer basically means that any schedule I may have had has been shot to hell. I've been busy, and crazy, and some of you may have even seen my slight meltdown on tumblr, but I'm not freaking out as badly anymore, so here's the new chapter!

Week after this one, I'll be at shotgun camp, which unfortunately has zero access to any wifi or even cell service, so the next chapter is either going to be short and come early, or be a bit delayed like these past few have been.

Feel free to leave a review, either to scream with me about how intense the story is starting to get, or scream _at_ me for taking so long! Enjoy!

* * *

Yet again, Greed trudged along the pathways surrounding Central Command. As he'd been many times earlier, he was angry and needed to leave for somewhere else. Honestly, Ed felt like the homunculus was leaving his "family" dramatically every other day.

It had actually been mildly amusing, watching as the homunculi tore themselves apart from the inside, Greed as the main catalyst. Ed was always slightly reassured during every argument they had, as it meant their unity was crumbling, and the possibility of their plans failing was becoming larger.

Today, however, was different.

Greed could be a dramatic little shit all he wanted, and storm off fuming, but he better storm straight toward Alphonse, wherever the younger Elric may be. Al going missing had honestly been the worst part of Ed's day, topping even the traumatizing moment in which Greed had eaten his breakfast cereal and drank the milk from the bowl afterward. Al's disappearance had managed to top all the screaming souls inside Greed's philosopher's stone, which seemed to have increased their volume.

Greed mindlessly storming away might not have had a particular agenda, but Edward sure did, and he was fully planning on making sure that asshole homunculus was going to go along with it.

Last time he'd taken control, it had been a wild, spur of the moment ordeal, and he'd only done it because he distracted Greed and ran off. Truth was, Ed hadn't really had a concrete, definite idea of what he was doing, or where he was going. He wasn't used to the feeling of having to control not only his body, but a homunculus and the souls of thousands of screaming people as well.

He hadn't known how to overpower Greed's stone and keep it overpowered once he'd shoved it down.

This time Ed resolved to be better. Greed was going to get beat, and stay down if he didn't want to cooperate. Ed knew where he wanted to go (maybe Al told that asshole Mustang something), and who he needed to find, and he also knew what buttons to press to get the homunculus to keel over.

" _Hey-_ " He began, grabbing the monster's attention.

" _I am not in the mood, kid. Shove off,_ " was Greed's savage answer.

" _Greed, we need to go after Alphonse_ ," retaliated Ed, getting straight to the point. There was reason to play games with another entity that lived in his mind.

" _You obnoxious little brother is the reason we're in this mess. I don't particularly want to look for some kid right now,_ " Obviously, Greed must have felt the same as Ed did, being extremely blunt.

" _Call Al obnoxious one more time and I swear I will-"_

" _You'll what? You can't do anything to me, considering you're stuck in my head, soon to be my philosopher's stone."_

Sure, Ed was stuck inside his own mind at the moment, but he wasn't going to let Greed prance around in his skin for much longer.

" _You seem to forget this is my body, Greed. And I'm not going to let you just have complete control of it,_ " Soon he'd make his move.

" _Yours? I seem to recall a certain someone making a deal with me and letting me have the thing,_ " Some fairly sound logic, but Ed ignored it. This asshole of a homunculus was about to go down.

" _This 'certain someone' has said a lot of things to get out of tough situations, but that doesn't mean all of them are true."_

" _Touche, shrimp. Unfortunately, however, I can't relate because I don't lie_ ," Greed gestured with one of Ed's hands- a completely unnecessary gesture, due to the fact that the conversation was inside his head. Or maybe not… It wasn't like Ed could use his own hands to gesture. The douchebag homunculus was just showing off.

" _You act like you're so above it all, Greed, but just because you don't lie doesn't mean you aren't a dick in other respects_ ," Ed kept his calm, attempting to look past the 'shrimp' mention and the not-so-simple hand gesture.

" _Look, I'm not saying I'm perfect, and I get that you of all people would see me as an asshole, even after having agreed to this arrangement,"_ Greed paused, carefully choosing his next words, " _In all honesty, you're even more of a dick for going back on all your promises."_

That elicited a scoff from Ed. _He_ wasn't the asshole here, " _Believe what you want, but this is still my body in the end."_

" _Sure, kid."_

As much as Ed just _loved_ bickering with his pesky little parasite, he needed to act soon or else he may never get a chance to do what he needed.

" _We need to go after Alphonse,"_ Once again, Ed stated his goals. This was Greed's last chance to go along with them or else Ed would have to use force.

" _Like I said before, I don't want to go on a manhunt for that little adventurer. He's off on his own, and clearly he enjoys it that way,_ " Damn. Ed was going to have to do this the hard way.

The one topic that was still sore for Greed was the one Ed had used before to gain control, and he reckoned he could do it again. Dublith. It was basically guaranteed to send the homunculus into a berserk state of confusion, giving Ed enough time to take the reigns. Those flashes of memories and emotions and god knows what else from the Devil's Nest would surely be enough to set Greed over the edge once again, and if used well enough, possibly set him off for a long time.

That asswipe insisted on playing dirty and doing what he wanted, and he'd been able to run around almost unchecked for weeks. Now, it was Ed's turn.

* * *

Central City had some of the best architecture Amestris had to offer. The clean, modern look of the entire capital city was like an art gallery to any true architecture buffs, who could end up almost anywhere and still find construction they loved.

Despite all these amazing accomplishments, however, there were definitely three structures in the city which acted as the crowning jewels of the city. For starters, there was the Central Command Center and Fuhrer's mansion, both built to be tall and imposing and show Amestrian military might.

Next, there were the Kirke Square fountains. Always lit up exorbitantly during solstice season, it was an area in which the citizens of Central go for a nice view and a nice afternoon.

The third structure in the city worth noting did the exact opposite; the Central Prison. Not particularly ornate or citizen-friendly, the building was arguably more intimidating than the Command Center. At least there, the military had the motto of helping the common folk and protecting Amestris. The maximum-security prison had no nice facade to hide under. It was just tall, and utilitarian, and drove fear into the hearts of anyone passing by.

… Everyone except Envy.

They were able to stand in front of the main entrance, unperturbed except for the itching annoyance caused by having to wait. Tapping their foot on the ground in impatience, Envy resented their human disguise. This soldier was in a hot, unbreathable, cotton, Amestrian military uniform, and direct sunlight was not a friend of said uniform. How could people possibly stand these things?

Finally, the doors opened, and out strutted a white-clad figure, smirking at the panicking guards behind him and straightening his white fedora.

"I'm here to pick you up, Kimblee," Envy motioned to the car, not wanting to give away anything of their true identity. The newly free alchemist narrowed his eyes, likely knowing his companion had more to them than met the eye.

Once both figures boarded the car, Envy spoke up, "It's been a while, Kimblee," They turned their head around to face the alchemist in the back seat, "Congrats on the early release."

Kimblee's mouth quirked up, a new devilish glint in his eye as Envy reverted back to their preferred human form, "I guess I have you guys to thank for that, then," He replied as Envy turned back to face the road and start driving.

"Yup," Red sparks accompanied Envy's transformation back into the soldier, "We could use a little bit of extra help with something," They elaborated, eyes flickering back and forth from between the road and the passenger in the back seat.

"My first day out of jail, and I already have a job," Kimblee's smirk spread, the man realizing exactly what kind of job the homunculi likely wanted him for.

"You remember Doctor Marcoh, right?" Envy began his explanation as to what Kimblee's job was, but had a hard time concentrating. That asshole Greed _could_ be doing _his_ job normally too, as Envy was, _but noooooooooooooo._

Envy was the perfect example of efficiency, going out and doing everything they needed to. Greed spent the time he was supposed to be working by stealing couches and dragging them down underground for him to lounge around on. That lazy, obnoxious homunculus also went on _multiple_ shopping sprees, buying clothes that were questionable at best. It honestly boiled Envy's blood more than most stupid humans did. Greed was a homunculus; he should know better!

But maybe it was that kid whose body he was put in…

The Fullmetal shrimp was a particularly obnoxious one, and Envy knew for a fact that little bastard didn't ever want to go down without a fight. Who knew if the kid was integrated into Greed's stone or not? Greed had had a few slip-ups before with Fullmetal taking over, so who was to say it wouldn't happen again?

"Hey, Envy," Kimblee called out from the backseat, snapping Envy out of their thoughts, "I accept the Marcoh thing, but you seem to have something else on your mind as well," Envy cursed.

"It's none of your business… Just an uncooperative little brat," Envy practically snarled back.

"You know, I could take this brat out for you, just do it quick before my real fun with Marcoh begins," Kimblee examined his nails, casual as ever while Envy seethed.

"We need him alive," They pouted, and Kimblee chuckled, "The obnoxious brat is someone who is unfortunately fairly important to our plans."

"He can't be that important if you're seriously contemplating my offer to get rid of him." Kimblee… had a point there… It wasn't like Greed ever contributed to anything, so he was just dead weight. The only problem would be with Father's anger after Greed died _again._

"He isn't, but he's crucial enough that I don't want you to kill him," It stabbed Envy in the heart to have to admit it, but they couldn't just get rid of the dead weight asshole who dragged couches down underground.

"Alright then…" Kimblee turned to look out the window, prompting Envy to continue what he was trying to say earlier.

He talked more about the Marcoh job, but then suddenly Envy's eyes caught sight of a familiar golden-haired figure stomping away from Central Command in his tacky, too-tight, red, leather pants. _Fucking Greed_. What was he doing now?

Unintentionally, the car slowed, and Envy caught sight of the young homunculus. He was definitely pissy about something, stomping away like that, but something strange was happening- every few steps, Greed would pause and hold his head, both his automail and ultimate shield-covered hands running through his loose hair.

If that was what Envy thought it was, then Greed was in major trouble. Not only was that asshole going off to do whatever, but he was _actively trying to keep the kid from taking back over._ That was ridiculous; a homunculus should never have to fight their host after the initial takeover. Greed was fucking useless in two ways: his job, and the basic function of being a homunculus.

"You know what, Kimblee," Envy snarled, stepping on the gas and speeding away from Greed/ Edward/ whoever was in control at the moment, "I think I will take you up on that offer to take that annoying shrimp out of the picture. Just wait until I tell you, but that fucker is going down."

* * *

" _STOP IT!"_ Greed shouted, clutching his head as pain laced through it like a migraine.

" _NO!_ " Shrieked Ed back, trying to move his arms, " _I'm never going to be able to forget what happened in Dublith, so neither can you!"_

" _I can't forget it because I never went through it in the first place!_ " Shaking more violently than before, Greed fell against the wall next to him, " _I told you never to talk about this again, shrimp!"_

" _Too bad,"_ Ed shouted, taking his anger about the shrimp comment out on the homunculus, watching as more and more fuzzy gray fragments of the Greed's time in Dubith flashed around.

The homunculus swatted the air, trying to hold back the floodgates before they spilled out, creating more of a problem than just minor pain. He knew what could happen if he let his guard down again, and was determined on stopping it.

" _Don't you remember your little friends from down there?_ " Ed taunted, " _What were their names?"_

" _I don't know who the hell you're talking about!"_

" _You do, Greed! You know exactly who I'm talking about!"_ Images of the chimeras fighting alongside Greed appeared, and Ed thought hard on trying to remember any other details about the gang.

" _Remember that short one with the katana who I kicked in the face!"_ Ed yelled, causing Greed to jump up into the middle of the sidewalk.

" _Remember that snake lady who hid inside Alphonse!"_ Once more, Ed screamed, his words more of a command than a question. Greed was going to remember his friends, whether he wanted to or not.

Greed grabbed his bangs, pulling at them and likely getting the strands of hair caught in his automail. Ed opened his mouth once more, but Greed stopped him by pushing off the ground and sprinting back toward the Central Command Center.

" _We are not going through this again!"_

" _We are!"_

The homunculus ran, haphazardly shoving pedestrians out of the way as he came across them. His mind was occupied by more important things than whether or not he kicked a seven-year-old into the street. It was occupied with much more important things than his public image, which would now be that of a rampaging lunatic.

" _Remember our fight in Dublith!"_ Putting aside his feelings about Greed hurting innocent people, Ed turned back to his task, " _I beat you then, I can beat you now!"_

A snarl from the homunculus.

Suddenly, Greed turned on his feet, banging into the wall on his left and not even bothering to put up his ultimate shield as he did so. Red sparks danced across his shoulder, preventing any bruising. Even though he'd had the energy to regenerate his injuries, the homunculus couldn't turn his skin hard- a sign Ed's plan was working.

" _I outsmarted you there, and I can do it again!_ " He kept at it, watching Greed's mind turn into an inferno.

Ed steeled himself, feeling Greed's control slip. His steps shook, and the automail went limp as Greed reached a doorway and threw himself in, not paying attention to the sight in front of him. A colossal mistake.

Edward's body tumbled down a flight of stairs, every other bounce or so, Ed feeling the blows. There was no shield, no regeneration, and for those few, crucial moments, no Greed. Ed never thought he'd be so happy to feel pain.

At the bottom, Ed tried standing, but the homunculus beat him to it and staggered to his feet. The move, however, was too fast, and Greed had to grab hold of a nearby railing in order not to collapse. Sparks came, but their intensity was greatly diminished compared to what they had been before.

"Fuck…" Resounded through the hallway between Greed's jagged breaths. He sounded tired and done, but Ed was nowhere near that point.

" _Remember-"_

"SHUT UP! _"_ Greed's veritable roar shook the air around them, and Ed paled, the manic, distorted voice of the homunculus echoing in his mind and the space around them. These past two times, Greed hadn't even bothered to keep the words in his mind.

"Can you shut up for two minutes?! _"_ Once more, Greed screamed out loud, voice sounding inhuman.

It scared Ed, but he knew he couldn't just stop now. He needed to see this through or else he may not get another chance soon, " _You remember Dublith! I know you remember the Devil's Nest! And the fight we had! And the way I demolished your sorry ass while Bradley demolished your team!"_

"NO!" Was Greed's last shriek before the maelstrom of memories and gray flashes and images of his friends became too much to bear.

Hands hurting and tired from grasping, Ed still managed to emerge victorious. Greed shrieked, but ignored him as he felt his own hands once more. He felt the difficulty his lungs were having, and the aching of his muscles from his tumble down the stairs, but Ed didn't care. He welcomed the pain, because it was now his, and it meant he'd reclaimed his body.

 _Dublithdublithdublithdublith_ repeated Edward in his head, subduing the panicked homunculus under the barrage of grainy gray images.

Now, finally, it was time to go after Alphonse.

Light streamed down the staircase from the open door at the top, but Ed huffed out and realized he didn't have enough energy to climb the stairs. He let go of the wall railing and stumbled forward into the dark hallway ahead of him. He needed to be in the Command Center anyway; Mustang was there, and the Colonel might know something about Al's whereabouts.

So Edward trudged forward, black boots clomping and echoing louder the farther in he went. Less and less light shone, and Ed squinted, his eyes straining to see where he was being led. It had to be somewhere good.

As Ed ventured deeper into the building, he felt the hall begin to slope downward, going farther underground than the staircase had brought him. He swallowed his fears, and kept going in hopes that he'd end up in the basement, so he could take an elevator back up to the main floor.

There was, however, after five minutes, no elevator, or even basement. There was only the slow transition of the drab hallway into one of the tunnels which ran under the Command Center.

"Shit!" Ed yelled, kicking a wall. Now he had to go all the way back outside, uphill and up stairs the entire way. Greed paused in his torment to laugh.

" _Give it up, kid. You're lost and you're too tired to make this last,"_ He yelled over the memories _, "You can't hold me off forever."_

" _I can and I will!_ "

" _What about when you collapse? It took a ridiculous about of energy to shove me down here, and to be crawling around half-healed. Even if you don't pass out, you're going to need to sleep sometime, too,_ " Ed paled as the homunculus kept talking. He was right… What if Ed couldn't hold onto his own body for more than a few minutes?

How would he find Alphonse then?

Ed was such an idiot. How could he not have taken into account any long term plans? God, he was such a failure. He'd let his little brother wander off and he couldn't even follow. What kind of shitty sibling was he?

As Ed thoughts turned from hopeful ones to self-deprecating ones, and from Dublith to his problems, Greed saw an opening and pounced.

Shrieking filled the corridor once more, maybe from Ed, maybe from Greed, maybe from both. Ed shook, eyes wide with fear as he slipped down again. He felt crawling all over his skin and his arms swinging back and forth without his prompting. Greed.

In an experience almost more excruciating than anything else he'd ever been through, Edward fell back down into the recesses of Greed's mind, forfeiting his authority over his own body.

" _Now you're back where you belong, runt,_ " Greed scoffed, brushed himself off, and took a moment to heal himself fully. He wasn't back up to full strength, but neither was Ed, and he was still able to overpower the human.

Ed remained silent, half out of shame from his failure, and half out of the fact that he needed rest from the constant fighting. He just let Greed walk down the tunnel, marching toward an uncertain future.

* * *

"FIRE!"

 _BOOM_

Shockwaves reverberated through the steel walls of Briggs' lower levels, and even induced echoing from Al's hollow chest. Tanks were so much louder in person than Alphonse could ever have expected. Sure, he didn't have real ears in which his eardrums could pop, but Al still sensed the uncomfortably loud noise.

General Armstrong kept her ice-cold eyes locked on to her target, staring with an intensity that Al swore could probably encase Sloth in a block of ice. That woman was tied with Teacher for "Most Intimidating Human Being In the World".

The way Armstrong hung out of the lead tank in formation, her hair cascading down her back and in front of her right eye, it looked like she was born to be there. Her grip on that shining silver saber never slackened, and she held the thing in front of her, pointing at the homunculus whenever she wanted another round to fly at his head. It was scary how comfortable she looked.

Once the noise from her latest shot subsided, Sloth turned his head from side to side, as if to alleviate a crick in his neck. As suspected, he still stood tall, pretending no tank had ever been aimed in his general direction. That was also terrifying.

"AGAIN!" She yelled, upset about the fact that her tanks were only slightly more effective at hurting Sloth than any of her guns or grenade launchers. These rounds knocked Sloth around a bit, and once drew the tiniest bit of blood from his cheek, but were still, for the most part, useless.

"General!" Al intervened, "It's not working!"

She snapped back, "I can see that, Major Elric!" Straightening her back, she continued, "We need to hit this thing with something stronger," She turned back to her opponent and narrowed her eyes.

What could this woman be talking about? There _was_ nothing stronger to hit Sloth with.

"I need someone to bring me some tank fuel!" Armstrong barked out her order, thoroughly confusing Alphonse. Sloth had skin that deflected anything and everything; fire couldn't kill it.

"You've already tried burning it, and look how that turned out!" Al retaliated, but was only met with a scoff.

"I'm going to use something stronger than fire," General Armstrong kept her eyes of the rampaging monster, "You're about to see the Briggs way, kid."

* * *

As the homunculus and his body's original soul wandered deeper into the tunnel, it became apparent to Edward that this was one they'd never been in before. It was rougher and more unfinished than anything they'd encountered previously, denoted by the jagged stones lining the walls, and the pipes replacing any floor they used to have.

Keeping his eyes open and vigilant was a challenge for Edward, but he did so anyway, trying to ignore the unsettling quality of the path he was being led down.

Greed kept his pace throughout, now walking better with his healed injuries, and mindlessly growing and retracting the Ultimate Shield over his flesh arm. His violet eyes scanned his surroundings as carefully as Ed's gold ones did, an action which told Ed that the monster didn't know where he was going either.

Neither dared or wanted to speak to each other; the day's earlier incident still fresh in both of their minds. Ed knew that if he truly wanted to retake control of his body, he'd have to come up with a better, longer-lasting plan. He needed to ensure that nothing terrible happened to the body, and that he'd be mobile for a longer period of time.

At least, this afternoon, Edward had managed to keep his hold of Greed's body by thinking of Dublith the entire time until he'd slipped up. If he did that next time, his success rate should be just as high.

Even though it was probably pretty obvious to Greed that Edward was plotting something again, the homunculus just kept exploring the tunnel, ignoring the seditious human. He was as tired out as Ed, and arguing some more would just lead to another bad scenario.

Footsteps from Greed's heavy boots made resounding _clomps_ , and for the longest time, those noises were the only ones in the tunnel. But soon, a skittering, pattering, echoing other sound reached Ed's ears. Was there some kind of animal in the tunnel with them?

"Hey," Greed called out, letting his shield overtake his hand.

The footsteps grew closer, and as they increased in volume, a panting noise accompanied them. Soon, even though the tunnel was almost pitch black, Ed spotted the source of the racket. A short man, enveloped by some kind of long, tattered cloak and dragging some kind of baggage along the floor behind him. No- dragging a _lizard tail_ on the floor behind him.

"Who the hell are you?" Greed's voice came out at a low growl, threatening the newcomer.

The strange, bald man stopped in his tracks, eyes widening and a disbelieving exclamation in his voice. Clamping his hand over his mouth, the man turned in the other direction and ran.

"You asked for it," Pushing off the ground to pursue the tunnel intruder, Greed shrugged.

Today, so much shit had happened to im that the homunculus was pissed, and temperamental and moody, and was out for blood. Whoever that weird lizard guy was, it didn't matter to him; Greed as sick and tired and needed to take his anger out on something.

The man let out a small shriek, and tried to duck out of the way, but Greed was too fast, and grazed lizard man's head with his claws. Ed's heartbeat sped up as he realized that there was nothing holding Greed back from inflicting hell on that poor man. How far was Greed going to go with this?

He lashed out once more and hit the man in the jaw, propelling him through a pipe and into some space behind everything else. Steam gushed out, distorting Greed's vision, but he pursued his prey nonetheless.

"Who the hell are you and why are you down here?" Greed walked past the steam, cornering the lizard man. In this new space, yellow light flickered from some indeterminate source to the left, allowing both parties to observe the other in more detail. Something about that lizard man was familiar… Ed knew he'd seen that face before.

Greed held out his clawed hand in front of him, shaking off droplets of blood. After he'd finished, he retracted the shield and put the hand on his hip.

"That voice… and the ultimate shield…" The lizard man trailed off, "You sound just like Mister Greed… But you can't be!" He cowered closer to the wall, backing away from the monster about to inflict terrible things unto him, "But you look just like that Fullmetal Alchemist kid! Why are you imitating Mister Greed?"

"Don't kid yourself," The homunculus paused, clenching his automail fist, "I _am_ the real Greed. Not any kind of imitation," A beat of silence.

"Greed… The avaricious?"

"The one and only," Greed smirked, "I want everything you could possibly imagine. I want money and power and women, sex, status, glory-"

"You demand the finer things in life!" Greed's awful monologue was cut off, and Ed realized why he recognized the chimera. That was one of Greed's old friends- he was sure of it.

"Hey," Snarled Greed, "How the hell did you know I was going to say that?" He marched close to the chimera and lifted the man by his cloak. Greed's hand trembled, and a sinking feeling consumed Ed as he realized Greed was barely holding his anger together. He was going to strike soon. Even though this man had helped the old Greed, he was relatively harmless, and didn't deserve anything the homunculus was planning.

" _GREED! NO!_ " Ed's shrieking voice echoed through the homunculus' mind. Greed payed his body's host no heed as he extended the ultimate shield over his left hand, growing out his curving, knife-like claws.

"It's me! I'm your friend, Bido! You haven't been gone long enough from Dublith to forget!" The lizard chimera shrieked, terrified tears in his eyes. Ed remembered this chimera clearly now, and was shocked that he'd survived the massacre of the Devil's Nest.

"Oh, you're from Dublith," Greed made no attempt to hide the snarl in his voice, "I see now."

Greed had had enough of Dublith. Nothing about that town had brought him anything other than misery, and Greed was sick of Edward using it as some sort of bait to hold over his head. Every damn mention of that town was enough to send Greed into a frenzy, and he'd had enough. Ignoring the loud, gray visions threatening to overtake his mind, Greed tightened his grip on Bido's cloak.

"You remember?" A hopeful smile spread across Bido's face, but Greed's shaking black hand presaged anything but hope. Each finger twitched, the homunculus' rage increasing with every word the chimera spat out. Each and every digit wanted to rid the world of the existence of the chimera, and to rid the existence of Dublith from Greed's mind.

" _I'm done with this goddamn fucking town and the goddamn fucking memories of it_ ," Greed snarled internally, trying desperately to push back the memories flashing through. Bido's eyes were locked onto Greed's face, ignoring the hand that was inching toward his chest.

" _GREED!_ " Edward cried out, fearing what the homunculus was about to do. That monster was fully intent on killing someone, and using Ed's body to do so, " _THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO DO!_ " He screeched, only causing Greed's rage to turn his face into something awful and distorted.

The next thing Edward saw, eyes shaking and unfocused and disbelieving, was his hand plunging through Bido's chest, tearing apart whatever resistance it met and exiting out the other side.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: My only excuse this time is that real life's a bitch and I really should have realized that spending 6 hours a day for 4 days on the shotgun range was going to cause some lingering soreness. Also, I went to the beach for a week without my laptop, so that was fun.

Once school starts I'll get back to regular updates. I had to go in for 2 days this week, but next week is the official start date.

Also a while ago I began a new story, _Fire In His Eyes,_ so if you want to deal with me writing another multichapter AU fic based off of a fun idea, you should check it out.

Thank you so much to everyone who's favorited, followed, and reviewed! Tell me what you think, even if what you think is that I should get it together and update sooner!

* * *

That ugly freak of nature attacking Olivier Armstrong's fort was not going to descend her entire base of operations into chaos, and that damn beast was not getting away unscathed. No. Those were two things the General had made up her mind about long ago.

It was with this determination that the General sat back into her tank, felt the men load another round into the chamber, and ordered them to fire once more.

This time, the round wasn't meant to kill that Monster. No- she needed only to slow the thing down and occupy it until one of the men returned with some tank fuel. It wasn't like firing anything at it would leave even a dent. Its skin was practically impenetrable, save for the head, which, after being hit and torn once, just regenerated itself. That was why they needed a solution to this problem that didn't mean having to break the monster's skin.

Based off of the intruder's humanoid appearance, Olivier made an extremely important assumption: it was a warm-blooded creature, and generated enough body heat to move around in the cold. That beast relied on its self-generated body heat to walk around, and if she somehow managed to sap it away and throw the monster into the snow, it would freeze in the storm.

That was where the tank fuel came in. It was specially formulated blend, designed to evaporate almost immediately after a spill. If they could manage to douse the monster in tank fuel, the evaporation would draw out its body heat, chilling the thing. However, that would not be enough to make it freeze. If they dumped the body outside, it might become cold enough to ice over and stay put. Even with amazing strength and regenerative abilities, that monster wouldn't be able to produce enough heat outside to melt the ice or muster up the energy to break free.

Once the whole plan had formulated in the General's mind, all she had to do was get everyone fighting with her to agree to it. For the most part, it would be easy, due to her men's unwavering loyalty. However, the Fullmetal Alchemist was a wildcard. Despite his reassurance that he was fighting in league with her against the monster, he'd refused to answer any important questions. He was a seemingly naive boy, but he was definitely hiding something.

And the General was determined to find out exactly what after this whole fiasco with the monster was over.

"Fire once more!" She yelled out, aiming to keep the monster from doing any more damage to the inside of her fort.

God, what was taking everyone so long with the tank fuel?

Another shot from the cannon shook the room, and the monster was pushed back about two feet, the bullet from the tank lodged in its stomach. Of course it hadn't broken any skin, but making the monster double over had gotten it caught. The thing stood back up, and the bullet fell to the floor with a clang and rolled away.

It was one of the most infuriating things General Armstrong had ever had to deal with. These tanks and the ammunition they shot were the absolute best and most advanced in all of Amestris, yet they still did _nothing_ against one intruder. She was sure she could annihilate the Drachan army with them, but this goddamn monster just kept kicking. A direct hit from a tank shell to it was equivalent to a normal person being hit by a baseball.

Honestly, the entire thing seemed like so much of a waste. Her tanks and their ammo were ridiculously costly to manufacture, and they were expending ridiculous numbers of bullets onto one single target _without having any lasting or significant impact whatsoever_. One shot slowed the monster down and distracted it for a few seconds, but after that, it just kept on wandering around, doing whatever the hell it wanted. General Armstrong contemplated on just ceasing to fire at it until they needed to get a move on with the tank fuel plan.

However, that beast was too destructive. The entire situation made the General want to tear her hair out.

"How many more times can we fire at that monster before we run out of ammunition?" Olivier leaned down, talking to the technicians working below her in the tank, who were in the middle of locking and loading the next shell into place.

One of them kept loading methodically, but the other checked something to one side and replied to the General, "About five. I don't know about any of the others, though."

Grumbling, General Armstrong's eyes swept over the scene once more, focusing on the other tanks in formation with hers. They'd all shot at the monster about as much as she had, however, there was no way of telling for sure how much ammunition they had begun the battle with. They could have any number of shots left.

"This is the last round we fire until someone brings me the fuel I ordered," Armstrong sharply ordered to the men in her tank, and braced herself for the noise. It came once more, and knocked the monster back a couple steps as usual.

"Fullmetal," She then addressed, causing the suit of armor beside her to stiffen.

"Yes, General Armstrong?" He looked up at her.

Olivier had no chance to continue her order, however, before someone ran toward her carrying a large black container, "General Armstrong, sir, here's the fuel!" The soldier stopped just short of Fullmetal, and held the container up for her to see.

"Give it to Captain Buccaneer," Olivier beckoned her second-in-command over, and the man took the fuel into his automail hand.

Ignoring Fullmetal for the moment, Armstrong addressed the Captain, "We're going to drive the monster outside. We need to get it out onto some sort of balcony so we can douse it and push it off. Get to the nearest one, and be prepared to throw fuel onto the beast once you're there," She ordered, and Buccaneer saluted.

"Sir."

"Now for you, Major Elric," She turned her attention back to the State Alchemist in front of her, "Help me push this thing out to the balcony and get it off once Buccaneer showers it."

"How will I do that with you guys firing at it?" Responded the boy naively. Though he hadn't meant his question to be insubordination, his direct disobedience of her order angered the General.

"You'll hear whenever we are or aren't firing at it," Came her curt reply, causing Alphonse to once more stiffen, "We need to push the monster toward that elevator, so get over there and start helping!"

"But, um.." He stammered out, knotting his fingers together as he did so.

"If you can't cooperate on your own, I can arrange other ways for you to do so. Is that understood?" Letting Alphonse Elric into Briggs had been an atrocious idea, and Olivier was shaking her head. Obviously the boy was on their side in the fight, but whatever secrets he was keeping caused him to refrain from being any sort of real help. Perhaps if he hadn't come, the monster would not have made an appearance.

"Miles!" The General snapped, not waiting for Fullmetal to respond. Her Major, who had been within earshot during the entire conversation, knew exactly what to do, and pulled his pistol on the armored boy.

It wasn't out of any malicious intent, and everyone knew that Fullmetal could not be harmed by bullets, however, making it look like the boy was forced into cooperation could possibly make his enemies more forgiving about his actions. It should also provide that extra little push he needed in order to be cooperative.

With Miles handling the Elric problem, General Armstrong turned her gun toward the monster once more and hit it with another loud, steel shot.

* * *

The second Major Miles pulled a gun at him, Alphonse instinctively flinched and let out a gasp. Though his logical mind knew his body was impervious to something simple as bullets from a pistol, his mind still drew the connections between _gun_ and _dangerous_.

"What are you doing?" He shouted at the Miles, whose life Al had saved just moments ago. Sticky, red blood still dripped from the cut on the Major's forehead, leaving tiny dots on the fur collar of his standard-issue coat.

"You're being forced to comply, whether you like it or not," Miles smirked, and Al's shock and confusion faded away.

The homunculi couldn't get angry at him and accuse him of going behind their backs if he was being _forced_ to help the Briggs soldiers at gunpoint. They couldn't hurt Brother or Winry or anyone else Al cared about if it wasn't his fault he had to comply to General Armstrong's orders. In her own way, Armstrong was protecting him- by having her Major hold a pistol to his chest.

"Come on, Fullmetal," Miles nodded his head toward Sloth, "Let's get him into that lift."

"Right," Al nodded back, trying to convey that he understood. Not having a face was the worst in times like these, where he could have communicated solely with subtle expressions.

Al turned, and almost knocked into the barrel of the gun on General Armstrong's tank. He stepped back, and just at the right moment, too, because it went off, causing vibrations in Al's chest and rattling in his helmet. It looked like even though General Armstrong was protecting him from the wrath of the homunculi, it was solely his responsibility to protect himself from being accidentally hit by her.

The General was _definitely_ tied with Teacher for "Most Intimidating Human Being In The World".

Sloth, who was still lumbering around on his feet, was on the other side of the room than the lift he should be on. He'd wandered so far in the time General Armstrong had been talking to everyone, and Al mentally cursed for diverting his attention for so long. It was going to be a pain in the ass to get that homunculus back over where they needed it.

"Hey! Ugly!" Al yelled as he sprinted toward the creature, readying himself for any attacks.

"What… A pain... " Replied Sloth, it's deep voice very annoyed and very exhausted.

Al wished he'd never woken the dang thing up earlier; had it kept sleeping, they could have just gently carted him outside. But now, Sloth was being loud, obnoxious, and uncooperative. Hindsight really was annoying, but now there was no reason to dwell on past events. Getting rid of the homunculus _now_ was top priority.

Once again, Sloth turned away, but Al was determined not to let that happen. He jumped into the homunculus' path and clapped his hands. Feeling the surge of alchemical power, Al slapped his palms to the ground and shot up a wall in between him and the homunculus.

Sloth banged his fist against it, but was only met by Al transmuting again to reinforce his structure. Luckily, the wall did not break, so Al clapped a third time and sent chunks of his wall toward the lazy homunculus, forcing it to turn to the direction of the elevator.

"Ow…" It took a thunderous step forward, and Al came up from behind it. Should Sloth attempt to turn around again, He would just be met by more alchemic barriers.

"Nice work, Fullmetal," Major Miles commented, loud enough for Al to hear over the clanking of his armor, but quiet enough not to faze the homunculus slowly, but steadily trudging closer to the elevator.

"Thank you, Major," Al replied, and looked down at the man. Miles had kept his firearm drawn, but it was pointed down at the ground instead of Alphonse, and his finger now rested relaxed, outside the trigger guard. No matter how many times Al reminded himself that he was bulletproof, guns still unnerved him.

Sloth turned around, this time having heard the talking, and Alphonse acted quickly to erect another barrier between him and the homunculus.

"These walls… So annoying…" Grumbled Sloth, jamming one of his fists into the structure. It was difficult, but Al managed to keep power coursing through it and keep it up. Sloth's hits were superhuman, and Al had never dealt with such strength before, but he managed to hold his own against the blows and wait until the homunculus gave up and began walking toward the door again.

Al took down his wall and followed. Soon, Al's metallic clacking was accompanied by engine noise and the sound of tank treads hitting the ground. General Armstrong had abandoned her position in the formation and now followed Al, Miles, and Sloth.

"Majors Miles and Elric, get up with Buccaneer, now!" She ordered, not slowing down, "I can take this from here!"

Milliseconds after Major Miles and "Major Elric" ducked out from between the Ice Queen and the homunculus, another shot resounded through the room. Sloth stumbled forward, and began turning around to face the Armstrong before a shell from another tank barrelled into his chest. The General and her men really could handle this, now that Sloth was at least moving in the right direction.

The last image Al saw before he began up the stairs to the balcony was General Armstrong ramming into Sloth with her tank, and shouting as she slowly managed to push it toward the elevator.

Dimly lit, and decorated with the same dark, utilitarian walls as the rest of the fort, Al had to be certain to keep up with Major Miles as they climbed their way up to the balcony. It was difficult to say exactly how many stories they ascended, but after what seemed like almost too long, they burst through a door and were met by a frosty breeze. At least, Al guessed it was frosty. It wasn't like he could _feel_ it.

"Here, Fullmetal," Captain Buccaneer, who had materialized from the other side of the hall, yelled, and launched a projectile toward Al's head. He managed to catch the thing before knocking his helmet off, and turned it over in his hand. Tank fuel.

"When I give the signal, douse that big, dumb son of a bitch, got it?"

"Got it," Al replied, then hastily added, "Sir."

Not ten seconds passed before the door to the elevator opened, and Sloth's deep groan echoed through the chamber, and became carried away by the wind at the end of it, "Where… Am I…"

"Now!" Shouted Captain Buccaneer before Sloth could get an answer to his question. The large man shouted his best war cry, and grabbed hold of Sloth's arm, draping it over his shoulder. Then, digging in with the claw-like diamond tips of his automail, Buccaneer flipped the homunculus onto it's back in one fluid motion.

Wasting no time, Al also let out a yell and dumped his container of fuel onto the monstrous homunculus. Miles followed in suit, and soon the air reeked of petrol.

Sloth groaned again, moving his arm to prop himself up, and Al thought that if he had a heart, it would have begun racing, "So what do we do now?"

"Well, Major Elric-" Began Buccaneer, but was interrupted a _ding_ from the elevator. All he did was wink at Alphonse before stepping out of the way and saluting to the doors.

As they opened, Al could not help but gasp at what came out. The long, gunmetal gray barrel of a tank cut through the hall, growing longer and longer the more the elevator doors opened. But that wasn't even the most shocking thing.

General Armstrong, cold eyes more fierce and chilling than ever, glared at the monster in front of her doused in tank fuel. She leaned on one of her elbows in front of her, letting her cascade of Armstrong-blonde hair cover her right eye completely and cast shadows across the rest of her face. That woman looked like she was born to be hanging out of that tank, and like she would certainly kill anyone who might impede her from doing so.

Al was so caught up in her powerful appearance that it took her yelling, "Move it, you tin can!" For him to snap out of his trance and leap out of her way.

Sparks flew from tank treads rubbing against the sides of the elevator; metal crunching against metal.

"Fire!" She screamed, holding her sword out toward Sloth's head, and once more, a projectile impacted against the immortal monster.

Sloth, who was extremely disoriented and only still in the process of finding his bearings in the balcony at the end of the hallway, was knocked back, almost against the icicle- covered railing. From behind the corner on the walkway, Al heard a shriek, and reasoned that another soldier from Briggs must have come to assist with removing Sloth from the premises.

"Do it again!" The General ordered, still red-hot with anger and conviction.

After a short pause, she was met with a reply that came very much to her distaste, "We're out of ammo!"

"We can still drive him off the edge!" Al shouted, then went to kick the homunculus. His foot made contact with Sloth's head, and after a crunching sound, he staggered back against the balcony railing behind him.

Rearing up for another kick, Al was stopped by a new, strangely familiar voice shouting, "Wait, I've got this!"

A figure ran out from his position on the walkway, and shots rang out, completely missing Sloth. However, before anyone could complain, the massive icicles above Sloth broke off one by one, ramming into the homunculus' head, pitching him backward into the icy abyss.

Al, Buccaneer, and Miles all ran forward to watch the monster's descent, and saw him land in the new snow with a white puff. As his black hair whipped around in the unrelenting storm, Al watched ice overtake Sloth's body.

Even from his far away vantage point, Alphonse could see Sloth's alabaster skin turn purple, then white as frost and snow stuck to it. Sloth soon completely collapsed into the ground, and his long tendrils of hair ceased moving as they too iced over.

He knew Sloth wasn't dead, but hell, he still looked like it. Something in Al's stomach flipped, and he had to reassure himself that this thing was a homunculus, just like Lust, and even if he had died just now, it wouldn't have been like killing a human. _But still._

"The fuel is specially formulated for the cold, so it evaporates almost immediately," Buccaneer crossed his arms and finally addressed Alphonse, snapping the boy out of his trance, "And with the fuel, that _thing_ 's body heat evaporated too."

"Wow, Al replied, but then remembered the person who had ultimately caused Sloth's demise. That voice of the shooter had sounded so familiar, but could it really have been…

"Warrant Officer Falman!" When Al turned around, his excitement soared at the sight of a familiar face.

The grey-haired man in question gave Al a wave and a small smile. Falman looked the same as ever, only more confident and professional in his long black coat, holding his smoking pistol out for everyone to see, "It's great to find you again!"

It really was; the last time Al remembered seeing Falman was during the meeting between Colonel Mustang and all of his subordinates, when they were trying to decide how to stay in touch with each other and deal with the Greed Problem. While glimmers of hope had shown through at that meeting, dread had also filled the air. Nobody had known exactly how long it would be before they could meet up once more.

So seeing Falman again now, safe and sound, was an incredible relief.

"Same to you, Al," Falman replied. But then, his smile faltered, and he said something that got Al into a whole shitload more trouble, "Hey, where's Fullmetal?"

* * *

It was a quiet night at the Bradley estate. The Fuhrer, his lovely wife, and their adorable son all sat in the large parlor, enjoying tea brought from the Fuhrer's loyal assistant, and cookies made by his esteemed chef.

While the First Lady, Dana Bradley, nibbled on her cookie, Selim chomped into his and laughed. He was such a sweet boy, and his personality definitely showed through when he was with his family.

"Hey Momma, do you remember those books you were talking about before dinner?" Selim put down the remainder of his treat and looked up at Dana with questioning eyes. At the family's nightly dinner together, Dana had mentioned to Selim some books she thought he would enjoy. It filled her with happiness thinking that Selim had remembered and was interested.

"Of course, dear," She smiled back at her son, "Since we're in the parlor with the bookshelf, we may as well look for them now, shall we?" She stood and brushed the crumbs off of her pink skirt. She had been meaning to show her favorite childhood novels to her son, and tonight was the perfect night to do it.

"Thank you so much!" Selim's eyes lit up, and he jumped off of the couch, leaving only King Bradley sitting there, eye lazily scanning the newspaper and lips grazing the edge of his tea mug now and then. He stayed, not only because Selim had specifically asked his Momma to show him the books, but because he enjoyed watching his wife's enthusiasm and care for her son.

"Alright," Dana began, and pointed a few novels out to Selim, who nodded enthusiastically along. His excitement never wavered for the next few minutes, when Dana found her absolute favorite childhood novel. Selim would absolutely _love_ it. She was sure of that.

"I think you'll enjoy this one. I was just a bit older than you the first time I read it," She set her cup down and reached onto the shelf to retrieve her book. King looked up from his paper, "It's about an adventurer who travels the world," She handed it to Selim, whose grin had grown even wider.

"Th-" Selim began his thanks, but let out a soft gasp and whipped his head around to the door as if he had heard something.

Dana noted the worry on her son's face, and glanced up at the point to which he had fixed his gaze. Feeling unnerved by the possible unseen threat, she drew Selim into her arms as if to shield him, "What is it?"

King Bradley narrowed his eye, and stood from his comfortable seat on the couch, also looking across the room, to the door. He felt something extremely wrong emanating from behind the door there. As fluidly as ever, his hand snaked down onto his sword, gripping the well-worn handle tightly. Whatever was out there would not attack his family without facing his wrath.

As if on cue, the wooden door creaked open, revealing a figure standing there, one hand clenched into a fist, and the other clenched onto the collar of a guard's shirt.

"Who is it?" Dana asked, keeping her hand on the back of Selim's head, shielding him from whatever sight may come, and from the look of fear on her own face.

The figure dropped the unconscious guard onto the ground, and King took a better look at who it was in the dim light. But it was obvious. Nobody else would be wearing red leather pants as gaudy as that paired with giant, clomping boots as tall as those and a fur-collared vest as fluffy as that. Nobody else would have one steel arm reflecting yellow lamplight and one arm covered in matte black carbon. Nobody else had that combination of long, golden hair and violet eyes.

Panting heavily after dropping the guard, Greed screamed in anger and charged toward King with every ounce of speed and strength he had, barely giving King enough time to half-unsheath his sword and throw it in front of his face as a shield. His eye narrowed, and King had to use every bit of restraint within him to refrain from growling menacingly in front of his wife.

"Darling!" Dana shouted, eyeing the intruder with incredulous shock and terror, clutching Selim in a tighter deathgrip than most humans would be capable of.

Greed's face contorted with anger as he held his own against King's sword, "You and Selim, stay back," The Fuhrer ordered to his loved ones, not knowing why the hell Greed was here or what he was going to do.

"Well," Greed's voice sounded husky and exhausted as he rasped out his words, "Maybe _you_ can explain this, Wrath," He closed his eyes and shook his head as if he were in pain, "What the hell is happening to me?!"


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: If you ever have a chance to take a study hall in school, _do itttt_. Honestly about half of this was written in school, and it brings me great joy to know that I have an allotted hour and a half in which I can do nothing but waste time doing nothing productive. Hopefully now that the first couple weeks are over, I can get back into somewhat of a regular update schedule. I realize I've been getting progressively worse and worse at that, but who knows.

I'd like to thank everybody who's reviewed, followed, favorited, and put up with the long times it takes me to update this! I always love hearing what you have to say, even if what you have to say is that everything I wrote went by too fast and confused the hell out of everyone!

I hope everyone enjoys this kind of long chapter in which even more shit goes down, and the story starts tearing canon into tiny pieces and blowing them out into the wind. Happy reading!

* * *

"Well," Greed's voice sounded husky and exhausted as he rasped out his words, "Maybe _you_ can explain this, Wrath," He closed his eyes and shook his head in pain, "What the hell is happening to me?!"

The maelstrom in Greed's mind was almost indecipherable; images of places he'd never been, people he'd never met, and experiences he'd never had all pushed and flashed and made Greed's head want to explode. The barrage was constant, and just when Greed thought he had enough information to piece together the full story, something else resurfaced and introduced a new mystery.

Greed knew he had been in denial. He knew there was something accurate about that Fullmetal pest's statements after causing all those grey, blurry sights to surface. The people and the locations in them seemed _so familiar_ , but they couldn't have been. Greed was born mere weeks ago; not nearly long enough to have formed a band of friends with those chimeras. It was impossible, so Greed always pushed away the thoughts and beat the kid back every time he said the word that triggered it all: Dublith.

Despite Ed being relentless in his pursuit of Greed's misery, Greed managed to keep the kid under control for the most part, and those flashes of events in a past life repressed. That changed, however, after Greed had driven his hand through the chest of that lizard chimera down in the tunnels.

* * *

" _GREED! THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO!_ " _Fullmetal screamed in some sort of last-ditch attempt to save that filthy, lying chimera in front of him._

 _But Greed payed him no heed._

Dublith _. Every single problem Greed had encountered with that asshole kid was because of Dublith. The little blonde brat used it as some kind of bait, holding it over Greed's head and just waiting for the homunculus to break down in his hands. But not anymore. If the lizard chimera in front of Greed truly was from Dublith, then Greed knew he had to go. Every memory, every damn trace of that city had to be wiped from his mind. He was past Dublith, and he couldn't let whatever happened there keep clouding his vision._

 _Those images-memories- whatever the hell they were- had been the only thing able to cause Greed true pain ever since his birth. Once they disappeared, he would have no problem accomplishing everything he wanted to, and he would finally have a moment of peace for the first time in weeks._

 _All he needed to do was kill the chimera._

 _So in a laughably easy decision, Greed sharpened his claws to their full extent and plunged his hand through the chest of that abomination._

" _NO!" Edward screamed, his voice breaking at the end as his eyes widened with horror. The child fell down, watching hopelessly as the chimera's body did the same._

 _Greed watched as scarlet dripped from his fingertips, and retracted his shield, ignoring Edward's quiet terror as other souls in the stone began buffeting against his, dragging him into the pit. Good. It was almost more than Greed every could have hoped for, for two problems to be solved in the same day. Let Fullmetal be integrated. Greed didn't need his company_ that _much. He could just talk to the other homunculi, or spend his days tormenting humans instead of dealing with his blonde brat of a host._

 _Now there was nothing in his way._

 _Greed laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all, and in that moment, made his most fatal mistake of the day. He looked back at the body he'd left in his wake; the dark blood pooling from beneath the chimera's chest, the tear stains still visible on his cheeks, the crooked, mangled heap the chimera had fallen in, and his face, still frozen in a shocked, hopeful expression. He looked at the chimera- Bido- and then it started._

 _Then, Greed doubled over as his mind went black from everything which had suddenly rushed inside._

* * *

Wrath did not respond to Greed's question, opting instead to hold his grasp on his sword and kick Greed back with one foot.

Stumbling back, Greed glared at his opponent, angry red spotting his vision and distorting the view in front of him.

This was all Wrath's fault. All of the bloodshed and the pain and the misery of all of Greed's friends. Wrath had slaughtered the entire Devil's Nest. And he was going to pay.

* * *

 _Chimeras. Greed's followers. His possessions. His friends._

 _There was a group of people laughing. They drank their beer jovially and joked around, all smiling in bliss. Greed was smiling. He was happy._

 _Greed couldn't breathe. He gasped and gagged and clawed at his throat with his cool automail, but nothing worked. The images had never caused a reaction this strong before; they'd never made Greed collapse with their intensity. But this time, it was like someone was jamming stakes into his head, into his chest, into his arms and his legs and every other imaginable place on his body. This time, he felt each stab as if someone were standing over him with a sword inflicting the wounds._

 _He saw swords through his hands and the circular pressure points on his chest, and he felt kicks and slices and drowning. He had no air, and all he could see was darkness. Then… Wrath._

 _Wrath, pulling Greed's near unconscious body out of the water just so he could drive another steel sword through his heart. Wrath, slicing someone clean in half. Wrath, face impassive as he watched drops of blood roll from the tip of his sword down onto the bodies he stood over. Wrath, reveling in the sight of the light leaving the eyes of Greed's friends._

 _Greed knew now that there was little point to attempt to ignore the barrage of memories flooding into his mind. Because that's what they were. He couldn't keep pretending they were some evil trick concocted by Fullmetal; they the events of his past lives._

 _And in those memories, he very acutely observed Wrath: the cause of so much of his pain and his misery and his organization's downfall. Wrath killed Dolcetto, Roa, Martel, and countless others and had enjoyed it. Wrath delivered Greed back to Father, where he was to be distilled back into a philosopher's stone, and his memories unwillingly wiped._

 _It was Wrath's fault that he couldn't make sense of the maelstrom in his mind, and had been in almost constant pain for who knows how long. It was Wrath's fault that he had killed Bido, unable to know the implications of his actions; unable to know he was killing one of his dearest friends._

 _Unable to contain his anger anymore, and unable to hear the Fullmetal brat, whether it be from ignorance or the kid's silence, Greed stood back up, and like a man possessed, set out for the Central Command Center. That night, when Wrath was all calm, and peaceful, and would expect it least, he was going down._

 _Greed was going to march in and tear the older homunculus' throat out with ease, again and again and again until the bastard couldn't regenerate and died right there in Greed's claws. He was going to plunge sword's through Wrath's chest for every single wound inflicted on his friends, and in every single spot that hurt most._

 _That monster was going to pay for the things he had done in Greed's past life, and he would pay dearly, painfully, and alone._

* * *

Once again, Wrath remained silent, opting to speak with his actions instead of words. He completely unsheathed his sword, and glared at Greed as the younger homunculus clenched and unclenched his fists.

King Bradley may have been the homunculus in the room named Wrath, but the anger emanating from Greed was by far the strongest presence in the room. Wrath's own annoyance did not even begin to touch on the pain and misery and revenge all filling Greed. Not even Mrs. Bradley's quiet terror and confusion could add to the atmosphere of animosity.

"Wrath!" Greed growled once more, "Tell me exactly what you did! Tell me why I see you, destroying my possessions! Why I see you, fighting me like an enemy!"

He charged forward, and his hand connected once more with Wrath's sword, "Tell me why you killed them!" Wrath held his own, and just narrowed his good eye in contempt.

"You're nothing but a misguided gutter-rat, Greed. You abandoned our Father, our goals, and I did what I have to in order to get you back onto the right path," _The right path?_ Was this bastard actually serious? He had no remorse whatsoever for any of the atrocities he had committed, and Greed almost roared out loud.

Before he could, however, he heard a crash from the back of the room, and his violet eyes flicked over to the place where Dana Bradley had accidentally knocked her tea mug over in her attempts to inch away from the fight. Ceramic shattered into hundreds of small pieces, and in Greed's split second of distraction, Wrath took his chance to strike.

He fluidly drew his sword back from Greed's outstretched hand, then turned the hilt in his hand to better plunge the weapon through his opponent. With almost no time to react, Greed ducked out of the way and stumbled onto the ground. He ignored the pain in his backside, and his eyes darted back up to his pursuer, who was once again swinging his sword toward the younger homunculus.

Greed rolled twice, and used his momentum in order to push himself onto his feet, so he could better fight back against Wrath, who again, was showing no mercy or sign of stopping.

Now next to one of the bookshelves, Greed grabbed a loose novel and launched it toward Wrath's head, hoping to confuse him for at least a moment. Instead, due to his inhuman speed, Wrath swatted the projectile out of his way and followed his swing through to aim at Greed's automail.

Steel connected with steel with a sickening crack, and orange sparks danced off of both metal surfaces. Fearing damage to the delicate machinery inside his automail, Greed wrenched his hand out from beneath the sword, not paying attention to how dented or cracked it had gotten in the process. Surface details weren't important; he just needed to get it away and make sure it was in one piece.

Greed ducked, and spun away from the bookshelves, silently thanking he was so small and agile. Had he been the size of a full-grown adult, there would have been no chance for him to duck and twist and escape with the same fluidity as he had had.

In another attempt to play on the offensive, Greed lept onto the coffee table in the middle of the room, and took a second to survey the room in front of him. Wrath's wife still stood paralyzed with fear, her arms wrapped tightly around her "helpless son" to protect was already at the edge of the table, extending his arm out wide in order to provide him with sufficient power for his swing.

Despite Greed having appeared at Wrath's house with the goal in mind to cause that asshole as much pain as his punches could pack, it was obvious now that Greed was fighting on the defensive. Wrath and his swords were relentless; unstoppable and unyielding. Just like last time, he swung, he hit, and Greed cursed at the impact.

Only his ultimate shield growing across both his legs were able keep both of them from being sliced off at the upper thighs.

All Greed wanted in that moment was to cause Wrath pain; to make him suffer as hard and as awfully as Greed had, but it was obvious that was not a viable option anymore. Wrath deserved to die in the most horrible, excruciatingly painful way possible, but Greed had begun doubting his ability to make that happen. Wrath's calm and his grace with a sword was giving the older homunculus a distinct advantage over the younger, who was relying on rage and rage alone to succeed in his attacks.

Wrath swung again, and as before, Greed had to jump out of his way in order to only endure his clothes getting sliced through with sharp steel.

As he landed, Greed heard a groan from his left leg, and his next movements with the automail were jerky and almost caused him to fall. Wrath took advantage of this dilemma, and came close enough to the young homunculus in order to grab his leg at the ankle.

Greed yelled obscenities as he sailed across the room and connected with the brick fireplace which stood there. Ribs cracked and poked into his lungs, and for what seemed like minutes, Greed clawed at his throat for breath until red sparks danced across his vision and cool oxygen rushed into his corrected organs. By that time, Wrath was already upon him and exacting his next attack.

Unable to jump to either side, Greed summoned the acrobat within him and pushed off the wall, propelling himself over Wrath's head and only feeling the man's sword slice at the ends of his golden hair.

Greed landed, but did so as his steel leg buckled beneath him and he became sprawled, supine on the hardwood floor. As he attempted to push himself up, he found that Wrath advanced, and lifted his steel up into the air until it reflected light into Greed's eyes.

All Greed could do was extend his ultimate shield over his neck before his entire head was severed. The blade of Wrath's sword snapped, and silver twirled across the parlor, sticking into the wall not five feet from Dana and Selim. There was no way Greed could afford yet another close call like that.

So the thought appeared in Greed's mind to retreat.

Or really, rather, the thought had been screamed into his mind. And it had been done by none other than the Fullmetal Shrimp, who, apparently was still alive and kicking.

" _He's going to kill us, you shit for brains!_ " the kid yelled again, his soul pushing its way up through the thousands within Greed's stone and taking its place back at the top.

Greed almost replied, but had to run across the room in order to avoid his neck being skewered.

And as much as Greed hated to admit it, the runt was right. He wasn't going to survive this fight if he stuck around to see it in its entirety. If he retreated, Greed could recover, and exact his revenge on another day, that time more successfully than now.

" _Get out of here!_ " Greed's bratty host just kept shouting until he was finally acknowledged.

" _I don't need you distracting me while I'm doing it, shrimp,_ " Finally grumbled Greed as he got to his feet, most of his attention still focused on the very angry older homunculus in front of him.

" _I wouldn't distract you if you would just get on with it already!_ " Snapped Edward, and Greed saw no point in replying. He was formulating an escape plan in his own mind already, so the kid would just have to be content with Greed's actions, rather than his words.

Wrath reached out for Greed's leg again, so to throw him once more, but the younger homunculus slashed the older's hand with black claws and turned around too quick to see blood drip onto the hardwood floor.

The door he had come through was blocked by Wrath, and Greed didn't think he could fit through the chimney, so his only option left was one of the windows. They lined the room, each identical and crystalline, just big enough to accommodate one homunculus-sized hole.

Greed made his mad dash, and with infinite resent for not being able to make Wrath meet his fate, he threw his entire weight against the glass.

Automail impacted first, and the steel easily shattered the panes of glass separating Greed from the outside. Shards from the explosion sliced against Greed's face, puncturing it and sticking in, but Greed ignored the discomfort and moved his hands instead into a position to accommodate his impact with the ground.

Despite his regenerative abilities, Greed did not want to break more bones than necessary, which would slow him down. The adrenaline and rage which had been fueling him ever since he had murdered Bido and infiltrated the Fuhrer's house were still there, but they were joined by another emotion: fear.

As Greed fell from the second story, the reality of his situation and the future was setting in. He had failed.

He hadn't avenged Bido, or himself. In fact, he had accomplished almost nothing of his original goal to hurt Wrath. The worst thing he'd done was cut his enemy's hand, and trash his parlor. Both very superficial, inconsequential problems Wrath could solve within a number of days.

He couldn't even begin to touch the skill level and fighting prowess Wrath had held. So what would Greed do now?

He could train and fight and prepare for his next encounter with Wrath, but he couldn't afford to spend all of his time doing that; he still had other plans of world domination to worry about. So would he ever be able to inflict upon Wrath what had been inflicted upon him?

And as much as Greed would like to deny it, that thought genuinely scared him. Would he be alone, without his friends and without revenge for the rest of his infinite life?

Or would Wrath come for him as he had done before, slice Greed up into tiny pieces, and wipe the stone yet another time, just to fuel the cycle of violence? The man certainly had the power and the means to conduct a manhunt, and now, Greed had made him upset enough to do it.

An image of Bido and the rest of the chimeras appeared in Greed's mind two feet before Greed's feet hit the ground, and his steel leg buckled beneath him; bent at an awkward and unnatural angle. Mechanical whirring and sparking of wires and Greed's regeneration of injured limbs punctuated the air.

Greed attempted once to draw himself up from the heap in which he lay, but the second he put pressure on the malfunctioning automail, it groaned and gave out. Upon further inspection, the mechanical limb was still connected at the knee, and still melded into Greed's flesh, but the knee cap had popped completely off, and the force of the fall had allowed Greed to become double jointed in some aspect, as the automail was bent in exactly the opposite direction it should have been in.

"FUCK!" Greed roared, and he scrambled around, attempting to pick the pieces of his ineffective leg up from the ground. Terror seized his heart, and his breath hitched as he realized that it would only be a matter of time before guards came out and apprehended him. Greed needed both legs to fight, and there was no plausible way he could speed oof of the grounds while hopping and dragging a hunk of steel behind him. Wrath could get his hands on him once again, and Greed would suffer the same fate as before.

" _What the hell did you do to my automail?!"_ The Fullmetal Shrimp seemed to have broken out of whatever stupor he'd been in before the fight, and shouted at the top of his voice, " _Winry's gonna kill me!"_

" _Actually, I think Wrath is gonna kill you before your little girlfriend has a chance to get to you,_ " Greed grabbed at the branches of the bush near him, and managed to stand on his remaining good leg, eyes frantically scanning the area for sight of any incoming guards, " _I can't do anything about this damage, and I need to be able to at least put some pressure on my leg in order to run away from them,_ " Greed replied, too much else going through his mind for him to be angry at Fullmetal.

" _Wait, Greed,_ " The kid said, but paused before continuing.

" _If we wait, we're going to die."_

" _You're not going to like this, but I know how to patch up the automail just enough so we can get out of here."_

Greed heard commotion from inside the building, and he knew exactly what the guards were rearing up to do. If the little brat had something, he better spit it out soon, " _Just do whatever it is so we can get the hell out of here!"_

" _I can straighten the steel with alchemy, Greed,"_ Fullmetal also seemed to have picked up on the incoming trouble, " _But I can only do it if you give me control of my body."_

" _Forget it_ ," Greed was going to die there. If that little asshole thought Greed would give up what was left of his dignity in order to let him take control, he was sorely mistaken. He'd already lost his most important battle against Wrath; he was not about to lose to some manipulative alchemist. Enough had already happened.

" _Greed, if you don't let me take control just long enough to patch up my leg, I think you and I both know we're going to die here,_ " His voice was more forceful this time, and golden eyes stared at Greed from within the philosopher's stone.

" _You've manipulated me before, and you are not about to do it again,"_ The guards had reached the door and began streaming out into the courtyard, searching for their target, who threw himself against the wall in order to hide. Bushes obscured him from between the Command Center building and the search party, but if any of the soldiers came too much closer, they would surely catch sight of Greed.

" _I'm not manipulating you!"_ Fullmetal's eyes flicked between the search party and Greed, the look in them oscillating between incredulity and thinly veiled fear, " _I promise that I'll only be in control for a couple seconds, then I'll give it back to you,_ " He pleaded as the men came closer, " _Listen, Greed, I promise. I just need to repair my automail so we can be out of here. There's no possible way we're going to get out of this unless I do it, and you know that too!"_

Damn. That little asswipe was right. As much as Greed hated to admit it, he _did_ know what Ed was saying was true.

Men began shining their flashlights between the shrubbery in the Fuhrer's yard, and in desperation, after a beam of light had swept inches from his face, Greed finally relented.

" _Do it fast, shrimp."_

Handing over control to the little brat was a strange experience for Greed, to say the least. Previously, Greed had been forced out of his place on top by Edward, usually while he was screaming in agony and clawing his way back up the second he could. Painlessly handing control over, however, was a completely different experience. Greed just had to focus on the shrimp's soul, and just let himself fall back into the cushion created by the rest of those inhabiting the philosopher's stone.

He felt his arms give way, and his legs, and even his breathing changed as Fullmetal regained hold of his own body and revelled in it.

The boy clapped once, and struck both palms down onto his dysfunctional automail, filling it with a surge of power, and polluting the dark around him with blue alchemic light. Seconds after the transmutation had begun, one of the men on search duty spotted it, and the shrimp had to rush to finish piecing his leg back together so that he could at least use it as a support to stand on.

Just as soon as he finished, a gun went off, and Greed saw the projectile from it fly into the wall next to his head, sending rock fragments everywhere into his and Ed's face.

" _Alright, pipsqueak, let's move it now! Give me my body back so we can go,_ " Another gunshot.

Ed ducked behind the bush, testing out exactly to what extent he could actually use his leg. He rolled twice, then used his momentum to launch himself onto his feet and with minor stumbling and major limping, the alchemist was off running away from the Command Center.

" _I was only able to join the metal enough so that the leg wouldn't bend in the wrong direction. I couldn't do anything about the complex inside stuff, or the kneecap, so I can only bend this damn thing halfway,_ " Ed complained, trying to glance back at his pursuers and down at his leg at the same time.

" _Can I still walk on it, though?"_ Returned Greed, noting that the kid was running farther and farther from the Command Center, yet seemed no closer to handing the reigns back to the body's rightful host.

" _Well, yeah, but it's going to be limping kind of like this,_ " This time, Fullmetal looked back at the men chasing them, bent over, and slapped his hands down onto the ground, raising a wall of Earth between him and the guards.

" _Okay, that's all I needed, you've done your part, now give me my body back._ "

Ed looked like he considered it for a moment, after returning to his mad dash away, but then shook his head, " _I have one condition,"_

" _Condition? You made a deal with me earlier, and you can't go back on it now,_ " Greed's rage rose in his throat, " _I will snatch back my control if I need to, making it as painful for your little soul as possible."_

" _Don't call me little!_ " Came Fullmetal's reply, but the boy managed to compose himself once more, " _Where do you expect to go after this?"_

" _I… Have a place…"_ Even though Greed most definitely did not know a safe place in the entire world, he couldn't admit that.

" _So you have no clue. Just like I thought,_ " That smartass fucking kid. Greed was going to kill him.

" _Greed, we need to find Alphonse."_

Damn. All this little shrimp cared about was his dumb little brother. The homunculus couldn't care less about Alphonse Elric, and there really was no reason for him to, " _I'm not hunting down your brother."_

" _Listen, Greed,"_ All of a sudden Ed turned a corner, and slowed down enough to be able to dive behind a dumpster without a sound, " _I know you don't care about Al, but_ I _do, and you heard what Wrath said he'd do to him if you or I disobeyed him… Well, we disobeyed him,_ " Fullmetal's voice became even, and he looked Greed directly in the eye when he finished his statement, " _If we don't go after Al, Wrath is just going to hunt him down and try to slaughter him, like he did with you, and like he did with your friends. I can't just let that happen to someone I care about. It's my job to take care of Al, and I'm not going to let that happen to him. You of all people should understand what I'm trying to prevent here."_

Those last words chilled Greed to his core, and he shuddered. Because he knew they were true. Wrath's reign of terror had to end, before anyone else died, and especially because if Greed didn't go, part of the blood would be on his hands too.

" _Fullmetal,_ " It killed him to admit it, " _Fine. We'll go after your dumb brother."_

" _Great-"_

" _But we need to get my automail fixed first. I'm not hobbling around like this forever,"_ Greed did have some pride left, and before he went on a manhunt, he needed to make sure he was prepared for any trouble they might meet.

" _Automail… OH SHIT,_ " Shrieked Ed all of a sudden, and lept up, " _Winry! They know where Winry is! They could be going after her at any minute!"_

Winry. The shrimp's mechanic, and probably his little girlfriend, too. Greed had completely forgotten they'd threatened her, and she'd been the catalyst once, for Fullmetal to briefly break through and gain control to threaten Wrath. The girl was in even more danger than Al, having no chance in a fight against a homunculus alone and unprepared, and having her whereabouts known at all times by Wrath's goons. Winry was another slaughter waiting to happen, unless Greed could do something about it.

" _Greed! We have time before they get to Al, but we have nothing before they can get to Winry, wherever she is!"_ By this time, Edward was frantic, and he almost fell over a bag of garbage in his panic.

" _Calm down!"_ Greed snapped, and the alchemist froze in his place, " _Fine, we can check on the girl and make her safe from Wrath, and then we can find your little brother, wherever the hell he may be,"_ Ed relaxed his shoulders slightly, and waited for Greed to continue, " _But we have to do it fast, and we have to do it while I'm in control."_

" _Can you promise me that once you're back, you'll make sure Winry and Al stay safe?_ " Ed locked his gaze with Greed's and even though his heart was pounding furiously in his chest, he managed to stay calm and level.

" _I promise,"_ Replied the homunculus, but sensing distrust, added, " _And remember what I told you, I've never told a lie. Not a single one. And I'm not about to start. When I promise something, I mean it."_

And Greed did mean it. Even though he had no personal attachment to Fullmetal's brother and girlfriend, he wasn't about to let them be killed by Wrath. He wouldn't let that monster keep doing what he'd been doing for years and just eradicating anyone he didn't like. He wouldn't let Wrath create another Dublith.

Finally, Ed softened his face, " _So, we have a deal, then?_ "

" _Yeah, we have a deal._ "

* * *

"Fuhrer Bradley, sir!" Guards streamed into the parlor, guns drawn and faces filled with concern for the beloved first family. If only those bastards had come earlier, they may have been able to shoot Greed on his ungraceful topple from the window.

"Are you alright, sir? Ma'am?" The men surrounded King, Dana, and Selim, carefully inspecting each for injuries or ailments. In the midst of the fight, Greed had never once touched Wrath's family, and hadn't even been able to inflict any serious wounds on the Fuhrer himself. The attack, despite having destroyed a window and much of the parlor furniture, had not caused any serious damage, and Wrath considered that a failure on Greed's part.

He had known, ever since his creation, that putting the most volatile homunculus into the body of an equally volatile host had been a mistake. Even with the supposed memory wipe, Greed was still Greed, and there was no way of wiping his nature. It was what had caused him to rebel and run away to Dublith, and in his first life, to another city, the name of which Wrath deemed so unimportant that he had forgotten. Greed was supposed to be the pure incarnation of avarice, an abstract concept, and nothing else. But somehow, that homunculus had managed to construct an entirely unique personality on his own, straying from his original that with the most independant and rambunctious officer in the entire Amestrian military had been a mistake.

Father should have just distilled the stone out once more and chosen a new host, even if that meant the loss of one of their precious sacrifices. Sacrifices, they could always procure more of; homunculi could only exist seven at a time.

And now they had one less of both; that maniac Greed was running free with Edward Elric still likely trapped somewhere inside. It would likely be Wrath's job to once again attempt to find him and bring him down. Another infuriating task.

"Who was that?" A breathless Dana Bradley asked, only now beginning to loosen her grip on Selim, "This sounds impossible, but it almost looked like it could have been…"

"Do you know who it was, sir?" A guard filled in the silence after Dana trailed off, and Wrath decided to do something that would make his life much easier in the future.

"If you're referring to who I think you're referring to, Dear, then you're right," Wrath softened his expression in order to address his distraught wife, then hardened it once more to give his orders for moving forward.

"Men, it is crucial to the safety of the good people of Amestris that the criminal who orchestrated this attack be brought to justice swiftly and efficiently. This criminal has been polluting our military's ranks, and even though I did not discover it until tonight, has been working against our country's government for the entirety of his tenure with it." Wrath paused his speech, taking a breath so to prepare his words.

"The man who attempted to assassinate me and my family tonight is a danger to not only my life, but the lives of every single person living peacefully out there in the city. If you encounter him, I want you to notify me immediately, so I can stop his reign of terror.

"Edward Elric, The Fullmetal Alchemist is an enemy to the entire nation of Amestris, and none of you should rest until that traitor is buried five feet under the ground."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Hello everyone! It's been too long!I'm not going to bore you with excuses, but I will say that soon, the time will end in which I've been consistently getting 4 hours of sleep per night, and I can dedicate more time to this fic. Thank you so much for actually sticking with me on this!

This chapter finally has some stuff that's going to get the plot moving, and also concludes the first little story arc that I had going. From here on out, things are going to start resembling canon less and less...

Anyways, thanks for reading, and please tell me what you think! Even if you think I need to rework the chapter ending to make it less rushed and choppy!

* * *

Warm sunshine spilled over the mountains surrounding Rush Valley, bathing the town in yellow as the morning progressed. Though there weren't too many birds out in the city, the ones that did live there chirped amiably, adding to the sounds of shops opening, and work beginning for the day. It was a beautiful day out; no rain, a few puffy, white clouds, and a temperature that implied the day would not be too hot or cold. It was perfect.

Watching the sunrise, and waking to the sounds of a thriving city was one of Winry Rockbell's favorite parts of the day, and she practically jumped out of bed, excited for work. The scent of oil and steel permeated the air of Rush Valley, and in a different way than the clean air surrounding Resembool, Winry absolutely loved it. The city was full of automail, and mechanics, and every detail of her new life was a reminder of that. It was wonderful.

After Winry hopped out of bed, she stepped out onto the balcony of her room, and just enjoyed the view in her pyjamas, waving to her neighbors and other people she knew or had made automail for. After her whole trip to Central to help Ed and Al which had taken ten times longer than it should have, everyone was overjoyed to have the smiling mechanic back in the city. Even if Winry wasn't the one who had made their prosthetics, she was still a lovely young lady to talk to, and was quickly becoming cemented in Rush Valley's community.

And Winry was glad to be back. Seeing everyone again was wonderful, and she had dearly missed talking to many of her neighbors in the time she was gone. Even though seeing Ed and Al again had been something Winry thoroughly enjoyed, and had needed, her customers were also a very important part of her life.

Happy thoughts filling her mind, Winry meandered back inside, and walked downstairs to get something to eat. If she was lucky, Mr. Garfiel, or his boyfriend, Andrew, had made food earlier and left some for her to eat, and she wouldn't have to cook. That was one of the things she loved about renting the extra room in her boss's house; she always ate well.

Sure enough, a few muffins sat on the counter near the oven, and Winry took one, which was still warm, and took a bite. Yes, this was definitely Andrew's cooking. He knew how to make muffins so light and delightfully fluffy without sacrificing any of the flavor, and it was divine. The sweet taste of blueberries made Winry smile, and she had a feeling that she would have a wonderful day.

To go with her breakfast, Winry decided to put a pot of water on the stove to boil, and made herself some tea. Just before she mixed in her second spoonful of sugar, Winry suddenly heard her boss calling her from his living room.

"Winry! You need to come see this!" He shouted, most likely talking about something automail-related.

"If this is about work, I'll look at it after I finish my breakfast!" Winry called back, knowing that automail wouldn't run away, and now she had even more to look forward to during the day.

"This isn't about work! You need to get your butt in here right now!"

It wasn't automail? Winry tried to think of what he might have been talking about, then, but was pretty much drawing a blank. Had she accidentally gotten grease stains on the couch again and needed to clean them off? "Just let me finish stirring my tea!"

"Your tea can wait!" Garfiel yelled back, and finally stuck his head into the doorway to the kitchen, "This is urgent!"

Worry crossed his usually happy face, and Winry was a bit taken aback.

"What's going on?" What could be causing Mr. Garfiel to worry at such early hours of the morning?

"Get into the living room and listen to Bradley's speech on the radio! They've been playing it over and over again non stop!" With that, he ran back from where he came, and Winry dropped her spoon back into her mug of tea and followed.

"What is Bradley saying that's so urgent?" She asked, hoping to be caught up, but was only shushed by Garfiel, and then waved over to sit down by Andrew, who was already sitting on the couch.

"- _that this criminal plaguing our streets needs to be apprehended at once, because he is a threat to the safety of every single citizen of Amestris,_ " Fuhrer President King Bradley's voice came clear out of Garfiel's radio, somehow free of the usual, unavoidable static which accompanied radio programs.

" _Last night, while I was attempting to spend some time with my lovely wife, and my sweet son, he apprehended my personal guards, and threatened my life and the lives of the first family. My poor son used to look up to this man as an epitome of Amestrian greatness, and a role model, but based off of his treasonous activities last night, there is no possibility he can still be viewed as such,"_ Bradley continued, and all of a sudden panic gripped Winry's heart.

Someone had made an attempt on the Fuhrer's life? "Who is he talking about, Mr. Garfiel?" She asked, before realizing that she should remain quiet and listen to the rest of Bradley's address.

" _It sickens me to know that I had unknowingly allowed such a deranged and malicious person into the military as an official State Alchemist, and gave him power and allowance to research…"_ The attacker was a state alchemist? That was impossible. Every single State Alchemist had to go through not only a grueling exam, display of power, and a physical exam, but they had to go through extensive background checks as well, to ensure that they were good Amestrian citizens. Ed had been so worried about that portion of his application; it was so difficult for him to manage to keep a straight face while saying his limbs had truly been lost in the war, as opposed to his human transmutation.

 _Ed._ Winry finally saw why her boss had been so worried about the predicament in Central; Ed and Al were there, and they might potentially have a run-in with that crazy, murderous maniac. It pained Winry to see him constantly fighting and putting his life in danger, and despite how talented and capable Ed was, every single fight still sent shockwaves through Winry's heart. She didn't want Ed and Al to have to fight someone who had managed to break into the Fuhrer's mansion, and come out of the fight alive.

So she turned her attention back to Bradley's voice, desperate for more details, " _... It is every Amestrian's civic duty to report sightings of this terrorist if you ever catch sight of him, so the military can bring him to justice for all of his crimes against our great nation. Justice must be dealt swiftly and efficiently to this monster, and I urge every single good citizen to help us with our noble cause."_

" _If you see an alchemist with long, blonde hair, fair skin, and a short stature, wearing some gaudy combination of red and black leather,"_ Winry's heart unwillingly jumped; that description was too similar to Ed's for her comfort. What if he was accidentally arrested as a terrorist? " _It is necessary for you to report your sighting to the police."_

Somehow, through the course of Bradley's address to the nation, Winry's heart had sped up considerably, and she could hear the thumps reverberating in her chest. But what Bradley said next made her heart completely stop, " _Former State Alchemist Edward Elric will be brought to justice, whether he be dead or alive when it happens."_

* * *

Tonight was the night.

After days of plotting and scheming and sneaking around, finally a date had been decided for Riza to come over to Roy's apartment once more, and correct the damage Father had done by healing her back. Finally, the Flame Alchemy tattoo would be rendered useless once more, and Riza would regain her peace of mind.

But Roy Mustang was being eaten alive with worry.

Sitting at his desk, acting as if nothing was amiss, the only thought on Roy's mind was of that fateful night, seven years ago in Ishval when he'd first had to deface his Lieutenant's back. He could still see the red, oozing marks his flames had left on her skin, and smell the sickly sweet scent of burnt flesh which still never quite left his nose. He could still hear her screaming his name in agony, begging him to stop and keep going at the same time through labored breaths.

Roy felt as though he would spontaneously combust if he had to go through the experience again. Yet here he was, awaiting the hour at which he would make his way home and find Riza once again with her back to him.

Despite having only arrived to work about half an hour earlier, Roy knew that he would not be able to accomplish anything productive in the state things were in. Every time his pen so much as scratched paper, he caught glimpses of Riza, screaming, crying, and hurting. And his hands shook so much he even went as far as dropping his pen.

His new staff looked at him strangely before Roy had finally had enough and slammed shut the door to his private office, and just sat, with his head in his hands, until his new aid, a Second Lieutenant named Brooks, opened it once more.

Out of breath, Brooks half-yelled something almost incomprehensible to Roy.

"Sir!" Once he took a moment to compose himself, Brooks continued, "The Fuhrer told me he urgently requires your presence!"

Roy's stomach churned even more. Thinking about the Fuhrer and the monster he was made him want to gag. And Riza. She was now Bradley's ever-present shadow, and Roy would have to face her as well as the homunculus. For different reasons, confronting the both of them in the same room would be excruciating.

"Alright, Brooks," Roy managed to croak out without too much indication of his distress, and followed the Lieutenant out of his office.

The walk to the Fuhrer's office was done pretty much entirely on autopilot, and Roy's mind was too troubled with the issues of Riza's back and the homunculi to have paid attention to much else. If any of the other officers loitering around the halls had said their hellos, or saluted the Colonel, they were unfortunately met with Roy's painfully blank expression and no words.

However, Roy's blank expression cracked once he got to the door of the Fuhrer's office, and Brooks left him to confront the leader of Amestris and his aide alone. Fucking wonderful.

"Ah, Colonel Mustang," A voice from behind Bradley's cracked door called, and the hairs on the back of Roy's neck stood on end, "Come in. I have something very important to speak to you about," Fuhrer Bradley, despite being behind closed doors, called out to the Colonel, his tone unnaturally pleasant.

"Fuhrer Bradley, sir," Military training and force of habit allowed Roy to break into a crisp salute once he crossed the threshold of the room and closed the door behind him. And military training was what let him hold that salute instead of melting into a puddle at the relief that Riza was not in the room with him.

Usually, Riza was his rock, his guiding light through the fog, but with the crisis of Riza's tattoo, Roy knew he would not be able to keep a straight face around her. She was still the voice of reason at the back of his mind, and the strongest stone in the foundation of his support; that had not changed a single bit with her request. But rather, because she was so important to him, and because she was such an amazing, crucial part of his life, reminders of her face twisted in agony because of burns inflicted upon her by Roy would no doubt crush any of his visible resolve.

"At ease, soldier," the homunculus told him, a smile still on his face as if he wasn't a near immortal monster who was holding the most important woman in Roy's life hostage. Were these acting skills what had scored Bradley that wife he so often bragged about?

Even though his mind was still traveling at one hundred miles per hour, Roy managed to address Bradley as if he wasn't a literal monster, "You summoned me to talk, sir?"

"Ah yes, Colonel," The older homunculus sat down behind his desk, leaning his head on one hand, and letting his other hang off the desk, hidden to Roy, "I understand you just arrived at work, Mustang," He began, and Roy nodded, unsure of the statement's significance, "That would likely mean that unless you stopped to chit-chat on your way inside, you haven't heard the news."

"The news, sir?" Even the idea of something mundane such as newspapers seemed sinister once it left Bradley's mouth. And the fact that Bradley summoned him here to talk about them only gave Roy further indication that something about newspapers was amiss.

"Not the written news, Colonel, but the word of mouth around Central Command before I give my address in oh, approximately half an hour."

"I wasn't aware you even had an address to the Nation planned for this morning, at such an unconventional time, too," Unease crept into the corners of the room, and Roy could clearly tell that Bradley had information to dangle over his head.

"Well I only planned it last night, after the traumatic events my family and I went through," Bradley brought his concealed hand out from the other side of his desk, and Roy could see that it was wrapped in a large, white bandage.

Why would he need a bandage? He was a homunculus, so he should just be able to regenerate the wounds. Unless… _Roy, you dumbass_. It was obviously for the effect. Not only on Roy and the Fuhrer's subordinates, but also on Bradley's family, who didn't know their beloved King was a homunculus.

Even though Roy knew the events Bradley spoke of could not have been ridiculously traumatic, because the worst that happened to the Fuhrer was a wound to the hand which he probably regenerated under the bandage, he was still curious to know what exactly had transpired the night before.

Bradley, sensing Roy's curiosity, filled the silence, "Your former subordinate really did a number on my parlor, Mustang. He managed to even tear a book in half."

"My… Wait, what?"

His former subordinate attacking Bradley? Roy honestly had no idea what the older homunculus was talking about, since all of his former subordinates were either scattered across the country, turned into homunculi, or not male, like Bradley had specified.

"That Edward Elric always was too rambunctious to handle," the Fuhrer met Roy's eyes with his human one, but Roy could feel the gaze of the eye beneath the patch on him as well.

"Edward…" _Edward?_ What the hell could Bradley be going on about? He knew just as well as Roy did that Ed was currently possessed by another homunculus.

"Yes. Major Elric..." Bradley drawled, "He and Greed decided to pay me a small visit last night."

"How could Fullmetal have decided to do that?" Roy pressed back. Despite having seen Ed break from the homunculus' hold before, it had never been for more than a few moments, and he certainly hadn't had enough control over his movements to have orchestrated a somewhat successful attack against Bradley.

Besides, Bradley had just insinuated that Ed had been working _with_ the parasitic homunculus that had taken his body over. There was no chance in hell Greed would have teamed up with Fullmetal to attack one of his own kind, let alone Ed actually acting in a way that wasn't hostile for at least five seconds.

"I know Fullmetal was involved because after Greed attacked, jumped out of my window, and made his escape, he was seen transmuting his leg, then once he got out the gates of the Command Center's southern entrance, the lock was somehow melted down and recast in the shape of a skull sticking its tongue out; something only alchemy could have done in such a short span of time," Bradley tilted his head to the side as if the point he was making was so obvious, even a dog would understand it, "Homunculi don't possess the ability to perform alchemy, Colonel."

The lock turned into a tacky ornament _had_ to be Edward's work; as much as Roy wanted to deny it. But the situation still didn't make any sense.

"How would Fullmetal have attacked you? He doesn't possess the ability to, and it's doubtful that Greed would have let the kid lay a hand on you."

"Well, Colonel Mustang, that's where the story becomes interesting," Bradley leaned forward in his chair, "It was Greed who orchestrated the attack. Fullmetal only helped the bastard escape."

" _What?_ "

"You heard me correctly, Colonel. Greed was motivated by some obtuse notion of revenge to come and attempt to kill my family while we were having such a pleasant evening. He was the one who bypassed the guards, scratched my hand, and jumped out of a second story window. Elric only came in once he had to perform alchemy on his apparently broken automail."

Why the hell would Greed want revenge against Bradley? Roy understood that the Fuhrer was the incarnation of pure evil, and capable of truly awful things, but wasn't Greed the same way? Bradley shouldn't have done anything awful enough to elicit murderous wishes for revenge to one of his allies.

Sensing Roy's confusion, Bradley continued, "As you may have heard, before this current Greed, had to dispose of the previous one, due to him having become a public menace as well. Somehow, Greed caught wind of that fact and took personal offense to it."

That was right, Alphonse had mentioned weeks ago when the homunculus mess had first begun, that he'd met the previous Greed in Dublith, and watched his entire gang of followers be brutally slaughtered by the Fuhrer's forces.

"So he attacked you… And Fullmetal helped?"

"Yes. In this one particular occasion, I suppose their aims lined up rather nicely with one another."

Well, that did make some sense. Roy had no doubt that Ed also harbored resentment for the Fuhrer, which would give him motive enough to assist in an opportunity to take Wrath down. Bradley's response had certainly answered some of Roy's questions, but now, a new one burned at the front of his mind.

"Why are you telling me all of this? I thought I was supposed to stay a good, obedient soldier out of your way, " Roy narrowed his eyes and attempted to closely scrutinize the homunculus in front of him. The only thing Bradley gave was a small smirk.

"Well, now, Colonel," Bradley all of a sudden stood up, changing his position so he was looking down on Roy, "There is no way we can have such a dangerous terrorist lurking around the streets, now can we?"

"No, I suppose not…" In an instant, the pieces of the puzzle clicked together in Roy's mind, and he couldn't utter another word. If Bradley was insinuating what Roy thought he was insinuating...

"So, Colonel Mustang, I take it you understand your new orders, then?" Oh, Roy thought he understood, but nevertheless wished he was gravely mistaken, "You are to lead the investigation after Greed, and find him as soon as possible.

"And when you do, you need to burn him so crisply that the rest of the public won't be able to identify the body."

No. _No. Nononononononononono_.

"I know how effective your particular brand of alchemy is against homunculi, after witnessing the whole ordeal with Lust, so bringing down an already-crippled homunculus that was never a very good fighter to begin with should be a walk in the park."

For the millionth time that day, Roy felt as though he was about to retch.

They were asking him to kill Fullmetal. _Kill Fullmetal._

They were asking him to turn the child he had grown to care about so much into smoking pile of dust. They were asking that he stare into Ed's wide eyes and snap until those eyes disintegrated in an inferno.

Even with Greed being the dominant force in Edward's body at the moment, Roy knew that Fullmetal was still somewhere in there, in all his tiny glory, fighting back. Killing a homunculus was one thing, or even killing an enemy on the battlefield; but this was something else entirely. And there was no way in hell Roy would be able to go through with it.

"I see your hesitation, Colonel," Narrowing his eye, Bradley leaned in closer, "Like it or not, this is a task you are going to complete for me."

"How do you expect me to kill one of my most precious subordinates?" Controlling the words which came from his mouth was almost impossible for Roy. Apart from just the original shock, and the horror of the task he was being asked to complete, thousands more emotions were running through Roy's mind, and any chance of making sense of the chaos was futile.

"Because Colonel, an order is an order," Bradley's smirk returned to his face, "And you seem to forget I still hold a very important hostage."

 _Riza._ The person Roy had been agonizing over all day. And would not be able to live with himself if anything terrible happened to again.

"If you lay one hand on her…" Roy stood up, anger suddenly flaring alongside his horror as he realized the choice Bradley was giving him. Riza or Fullmetal.

Both of them were important to Roy in their own ways, and even though the roles they filled in Roy's life with completely different and sometimes contradictory, they had both become critical parts of everything. And even though Riza and Edward were both so different, Roy would not bring himself to lose either one of them.

Bradley had already dealt him so much shit, and Roy was getting tired of it. He was tired of having to sneak around with Riza, and watching her parade around with a monster who could kill her in the blink of an eye. He was tired of working without his team, and actually having to double his workload since his faithful Lieutenant wasn't there to help him with it. He was tired of catching glimpses of stupid Greed, walking around in Ed's short body, yet talking in a disturbingly deep, incongruous voice. And most of all, he was tired of being treated like a pawn in such a stupid game when he knew he should be the king.

"If I lay a single hand on her, then what, Colonel?" At the sight of Roy's blood beginning to boil, the Fuhrer only found amusement, and Roy didn't know if he wanted to collapse, or burn the asshole to a crisp.

"Mustang, you and I both know that even if you do manage to land a single blow against me, I have people who can eliminate your men and your precious woman in a matter of minutes," Roy stopped again, "Likewise, if you fail to obey my order, I'm going to make sure that every single one of your beloved subordinates dies far away from you, where you can do nothing about their fates. Except Lieutenant Hawkeye," Bradley leaned down to meet Roy, "I'll slit her throat right in front of you before and let you watch her bleed out until it's your turn to meet the same fate."

Bradley's cool voice, the way his mustache twitched when he said his final words, and how his eye glinted with something that was well beyond murderous made all of Roy's previously rising blood drain from his face once more. The Fuhrer was a nightmare; one that would haunt Roy until he either carried out his mission, or laid dead in a ditch somewhere. And with the way Bradley controlled his tone, keeping it even and without any emotion other than disgusting bloodlust, his words had a strange sense of finality.

It was almost as if Bradley knew Roy would try to disobey him, and was challenging the man to. He was practically begging Roy to go against the mission just so he could show off his skill with a sword, and the immense power at his fingertips as Fuhrer.

No matter what Roy did; whether he obeyed or disobeyed, he would still be making Fuhrer Bradley disgustingly pleased. Whatever course of action he decided to take either for or against the leader of Amestris, he would be doing exactly what was desired of him. That thought sickened Roy to the very core of his being.

It was the feeling of being so goddamn useless that he couldn't even move. The thought that every single effort he had put forth in his life was wasted when it came to protecting what was truly important to him. It was the feeling he hated more than anything else in the world, yet something he felt on practically a weekly basis.

But even so…

Roy couldn't just do nothing. He had responsibilities not only as a commanding officer to his men and the Elric brothers, and to Riza as her oldest friend and whatever deep bond that had formed between her and him. All of those people and more- like his aunt and sisters, and the various friends he'd made during the course of his life- were counting on him. Not just to achieve his goals and rule the country, but to remain a good man while doing it.

And there was no way in hell he could stay consistent with his morals, but still do as Bradley asked him. He'd be a hypocrite if he just stayed silent throughout the affair as well. If one thing was obvious to Roy at the moment, it was that he needed to take some sort of action.

He couldn't let his team and Riza get hurt, and he needed to protect Fullmetal and Alphonse from Bradley. And at the moment, there really was only one way to do that…

Internally, he laughed wryly, imagining that being stuck between a rock and a hard place like this must have been what had driven Fullmetal to accept the homunculus into his body. Though he'd cursed the kid's logic at the time, he understood now precisely what had happened. In a way, agreeing to Bradley's commands was exactly the same. Roy was agreeing to have his movements controlled by some sadistic monster, but staying alive on the inside as he watched his feet trudge along paths he never would have trudged on by himself. And like Ed, that stubborn little shit, he'd be in there the entire time, plotting his escape.

It was kind of funny. He was exactly like the person he was expected to kill; the person he most definitely, however, he would not be killing.

"I…" Roy took a deep breath and straightened his face, "I accept my orders, Fuhrer President Bradley, sir," he lied through his teeth, accepting his own demon.

Bradley, whether he saw through Roy's lie with that superhuman eye of his, or whether he bought it hook, line, and sinker, only smiled at Roy. And though the Colonel had chosen the least painful of all of his options, the Fuhrer's terrifying smirk told him that nothing about the future was going to be easy.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Thanks to everyone for waiting so patiently!

This chapter might have a few more spelling/grammar errors than usual, because my family is in the middle of moving right now, and it's been hectic. But if I don't post the chapter tonight, I'm not going to have wifi for the next couple days :/

Thank you to everyone that reviewed last time! There were more of you than usual, and your kind comments really kept me going! I hope you enjoy this next chapter and don't think it's too rushed and choppy!

* * *

Tea in hand, Riza Hawkeye made her way back to the Fuhrer's office, trying her best not to show any outward signs of anxiety. Unfortunately for Riza, that task was almost impossible.

Less than an hour ago, she had been in the file room, procuring documents for Bradley, and had gotten caught up in a conversation with a few soldiers on her way back. After their insistence that she take a small break, she went to return to her boss' office. And as she approached the door, she watched the Fuhrer leave, tailed by one person she wasn't expecting to see until much later that night. Colonel Mustang, a rather dejected expression on his face, stared firmly at the ground as he and Bradley entered the hallway.

Upon seeing him, Riza immediately knew something was wrong. Call it intuition, or just a superhuman ability to read Roy, but she felt something terribly, achingly wrong. Every emotion emanating from Roy was negative as could be.

"Ah, Lieutenant Hawkeye, perfect timing," Bradley paused and smiled at her. He took note of the tea in her hand and continued, "Why don't you set that back in the office, then accompany the Colonel and I across Headquarters. I need my bodyguard at my side at all times."

Too cheerful, the Fuhrer stood straight, then waved Riza into his office with her tea. Roy met her eye, but the second of contact they had was not enough for her to fully decipher what he was trying to say.

Obviously, though, it was something terrible. Why wouldn't it be? Before now, there was no way in hell Roy would even walk near the Fuhrer's office, let alone talk with the homunculus. He must have been summoned if he was there. But that only raised the question of why he was summoned, and why the meeting had not been on the Fuhrer's busy schedule. Everything about seeing Roy there was unnerving her, adding to the anxiety she had about what she and him were supposed to do later that night.

Would they even still be able to meet up at his apartment? The last time Roy had an impromptu meeting with Bradley, the man had confirmed he was a homunculus and wreaked havoc on the Colonel's team. Could the consequences of this meeting be just as dire?

Roy's face flashed through her mind again. Outside the office, he'd seemed to be just a whirlwind of negative emotion; anger, sadness, and everything in between flashing in his eyes. The last time she'd seen him like that had been right after he returned from his first meeting with Bradley, in which his precious team and support group had been brutally ripped from his grasp. It was one of the darkest days of his entire life, yet here he was now, wearing the exact same face.

Riza wasn't sure how much more Roy could endure. He was by no means a weak man, but even the strongest had their breaking points. In the past few weeks, Roy had flirted with his limit numerous times, coming away each time a bit more precariously. After being stripped of all his supports and closed to almost all of his hope, Riza didn't know how much longer he would be able to keep going.

Heart rate only beginning to pick up, Riza attempted to push pessimistic thoughts out of her head. Digging herself into another hole mentally was not going to help her get through this. No matter how terribly she worried, she needed to keep it together not only for her sake, but for Roy's as well.

Hoping to be able to learn more about just what the hell was going on, Riza walked back out of the Fuhrer's office with her hand twitching toward her pistol and a blank expression on her face.

"Walk with us, Lieutenant," Bradley gestured her along, and turned to the hallway. Roy shot her a glance, but soon had to take his place next to the Fuhrer while Riza took hers two steps behind him. Even though her current position was about two feet away from her previous one, Riza felt worlds away. Following Bradley while Roy was right there next to him just felt… wrong.

So unconsciously, silent as a shadow, she shifted over, and was met with the sight of the Colonel in front of her.

He was a breath of fresh air from the box she'd been stuck in, and for more reasons than his cologne wafting behind him instead of Bradley's musk. This was where she needed to be. But depending on what happened between the Colonel and the homunculus in their meeting, she might be severed from him further.

"So Colonel," Bradley began, and Roy stiffened at the sound of his rank, "Along with leading your new team on this mission, I think a promotion might be in order for you."

"A promotion, sir?" Roy seemed just as shocked as Riza was.

Bradley was sending him on a mission? Worry pooled in her heart as Riza thought harder about what exactly a mission could entail. Depending on what the Fuhrer had in mind, Roy could be put into a situation that was life-threatening. Even if the homunculi were keeping him alive for whatever reason, being sent out in the field alone could prove to be fatal for Roy without anyone there to properly protect him. Without Riza there by his side, there were just too many variables that could cause the equation to go wrong.

And an even more terrifying thought popped into her mind; a thought that made chills run up her back. With the position Roy was in now- hostages spread across the country, and no choice but to obey the Fuhrer- he could be ordered to do almost anything. A heartless monster ordering around the most powerful state alchemist in Amestris sent visions of a white-hot desert stained with blood into Riza's mind, and she had to take multiple deep breaths in order to keep from losing her composure.

Logic argued that there was no way he could be thrown into another Ishval, so soon and without warning; Amestris had not formally declared war on anyone new overnight. But even if it wasn't the scale of Ishval, Roy could still have to do things he never would have wanted to do in even his worst nightmares.

And it was her fault.

So much of the leverage they had on the Colonel hinged on the fact that she was under Bradley's command, and Bradley could take her out in an instant if need be. One wrong move for Roy, and the man she brought tea every day could be standing over her corpse.

It was sickening to know that she, the one who had been tasked to protect Roy Mustang, became his weak spot; the chink in his armor.

"A promotion, Colonel," Bradley's low voice broke Riza free of her thoughts, "I'm adding a Lieutenant Colonel to your team, so I think You should be appointed to Brigadier General."

"Sir…" Confusion still remained in Roy's voice, and in Riza's silence. She needed to know what was going on.

"Are you opposed to a promotion, Colonel Mustang?" Instead of confusion, amusement was what dominated the Fuhrer's tone.

"No, sir," Roy paused, his sharp mind trying to decipher why the hell one of his greatest enemies was raising his status, "I was just wondering, considering the circumstances, why you would promote me now," It was difficult to question Bradley without mention of the glaring situation with the homunculi.

"Maybe it'll give you a bit more incentive to complete the mission well, Mustang," Though only a sliver of his face was visible to her, Riza saw Bradley smirk. She could only imagine the expression on Roy's face.

"And who is the Lieutenant Colonel I'm supposed to be working with, sir?"

"You'll find out after I give my address to the nation on the radio and I give you a proper briefing."

As more questions swirled around Riza's mind- about Roy's mission and about Bradley's unscheduled radio address of which she had had no prior knowledge- the rest of the walk was a blur, and she only regained situational awareness long enough to switch back over to watching the Fuhrer's back.

Even though he really should not be complaining about it, Alphonse felt extremely uncomfortable in the holding cell he'd been holed up in for the past day.

His discomfort wasn't physical; how could it be, after all? The hard steel now acting in place of his flesh couldn't even feel being shot at by countless soldiers. No, his discomfort was more in the way that he'd had a sinking feeling in the hole his gut should have been in.

At first, upon seeing Warrant Officer Falman, Al had been overjoyed to meet a familiar face in the nightmare that was Fort Briggs. But because of all his faking and half-truths, he'd dug himself into an identity that really wasn't his own, and had been a ticking time bomb from the start.

Al didn't hold anything against Falman. It wasn't like he'd actually told anyone he was pretending to be the Fullmetal Alchemist, so Falman wouldn't have known anyway. Even though at the beginning, Al had felt a twinge of anger, he understood that it was completely unjustified and irrational.

When he was little, his mom had always warned him about the dangers of lying to people, and managing to dig himself into a five-foot hole (a hole size that had seemed enormous to Alphonse, and even more enormous to Ed). Al sighed, because deep down, he had somehow known everything would blow up in his nonexistent face.

Still though, it was disappointing that he hadn't been able to keep his charade up until he left.

No. He'd been caught before they'd managed to make any major headway on finding May and a possible way to separate Greed out of Ed's body. And now he might not have ever have the chance to do that.

Because General Armstrong was going to murder him.

He had no chance of surviving. All hope was lost.

The second the words, " _Where's Fullmetal_ ," had left Falman's mouth, Al turned to the already agitated General beside him and had only had a fraction of a second to dodge the sword swinging at his head.

Oh god, she was so angry. Honestly, the look in her eyes actually made Al feel like he was melting. Colonel Mustang might be able to create fire by snapping, but General Olivier Armstrong could probably do it with a single glance. Al could have sworn he felt _hot_.

The only thing that had saved Al from his untimely death had been Buccaneer and Miles each grabbing one of his arms and pinning him to the nearby wall, away from the fuming General.

In response to her officers' actions, Armstrong did not put her sword back into its sheath in a show or civility, nor did she attack again. She just stood in front of Al, posed to strike should she need to. It was like watching a cobra.

"You will explain to me right now what the hell is going on!" She barked the order, stepping closer to Al.

"Wait, what _is_ going on?" Falman's eyes had actually opened, and he was staring at the scene with a confused bewilderment.

"I did not tell _you_ to speak, soldier," Armstrong turned to him, and the Warrant Officer jumped back in fear. Al didn't blame him, "Alphonse Elric, or whatever your real name is, explain exactly what is going on."

"Uh," Was the only thing that could slip from Al's mouth as he stood, motionless, brain racing at 100 miles per hour, deciphering exactly what to tell the seething General in front of him.

He couldn't confess everything; not here, not out in the open. Homunculi and hostages and all the other shit Al was in the middle of dealing with was not fit for a discussion on a balcony.

So he made the general even angrier, and told her the thing she least wanted to hear, "I can't say right now. I need privacy."

He expected to be decapitated (which wouldn't hurt, but would probably give his body a heart attack out of fear if he was still connected to it), but instead, Armstrong just narrowed her hard eyes and gave the men one last order.

The next thing Al knew, he was sitting in his dark cell, wooden restraints around his wrists and the fear of God put in him by the Ice Queen of Briggs.

Now all he could do was wait until she came back to pry answers out of him and murder him in cold blood… Or cold steel, if that was a thing…

Nobody had visited him since his initial incarceration, which was somewhat understandable. Al didn't need food or water, or even blankets for warmth, so physically he could last almost forever in any sort of prison. And with how rigid and efficient Briggs was, it made sense for the General not to waste any men with Alphonse while they could be helping clean up the mess Sloth had made of the fort's lower levels.

But even so, even with Al's slightly skewed sense of time, he knew he had to have already been well into the next day. He was getting nervous about exactly how long the infamous Ice Queen intended to let him rot in her dungeon.

What if it was weeks?

Months?

"God _dammit!_ " Alphonse yelled, and punched the wall as best he could with his bound hands. He couldn't stay down there forever, " _Shit!"_

Echoes from his commotion reverberated through the hallway outside his cell, and Al just listened as he slumped back down onto his bedding-less bed.

He didn't just senselessly punch walls to get hit anger out. He rarely cursed. He enjoyed being polite and courteous and only ever used anything stronger than _crap_ if he was stuck in a situation Ed would classify as "goddamn motherfucking shitty-ass bitching fucking crappy bullshit fucking hell".

Punching the wall and screaming obscenities was nothing like him. That was such an _Ed_ thing to do.

But even so… Right now he actually was stuck in goddamn motherfucking shitty-ass bitching fucking crappy bullshit fucking hell.

Because he couldn't just be idling in some random prison cell while his brother was possessed by a homunculus. There was no way he could just spend his hours waiting for General Armstrong to murder him while there was a good chance Ed was being murdered by an immortal monster.

That was too much murder. And would take way too much time.

Al lifted his head. Stupid General Armstrong and her stupid subordinates were not going to keep him there while he had infinitely more important things to deal with. In that moment, Al resolved that he was going to escape his cell if nobody came to take him out of it in the next twelve hours. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that it was going to happen.

He'd come up north trying to find a way to fix Ed, and before he went back, he was going to have a way to fix Ed, dammit.

It had started as such a beautiful day…

After sitting paralyzed on the couch for approximately an hour so she could hear as Bradley's speech replayed over and over again, Mr. Garfiel had thought it best to let Winry skip work if she wanted to. And Winry, trying frantically to work through what the hell was going on, had nodded and let her boss cover her in her favorite blanket.

Though she had no intention of skipping the entire day's work, Winry needed at least some time to work through what she felt at the moment. No matter how many times she listened to the Fuhrer-President's words on the radio, they still sent shockwaves through her heart. And each time, they became even more confusing.

But even with her brain scrambling to put the pieces together, there was one piece she knew for certain.

Ed couldn't have been the one to attack Fuhrer Bradley.

Just breaking in somewhere and attempting to murder another person for supposedly no reason was not something Ed would even begin to dream of. The act went against every single one of his ideals. Even if Bradley had done something unforgivable, Ed wouldn't resort to murder. Life above everything else, was practically the runt's motto, for God's sake.

What worried Winry was why such a severe accusation had fallen upon Edward.

She'd met Fuhrer Bradley before, and the man had seemed to genuinely appreciate his youngest State Alchemist. Hell, shaking hands with Fuhrer Bradley, he'd told her that it was an _honor_ to meet someone so close to his "rising young star". Nothing about the Fuhrer's behavior previously indicated that there were tensions between him and Ed. And the Fuhrer was one of the extremely few authority figures Ed actually listened to, albeit with grumbling.

So what was with the accusation against Ed?

Had he been framed, and was he as much of a victim as the Fuhrer?

Ed had numerous enemies spread across Amestris and probably the regions surrounding it; that was no secret. Surely, if one of Ed's opponents had managed to find someone as short as Ed who was somewhat skilled at fighting, they could have made a convincing fake.

Or maybe some deranged midget with alchemical ability had broken into Central Command and initiated the attack. It wouldn't be that hard to make the jump to thinking _that_ was Ed.

Winry stuck her tongue out; her theories were becoming more and more ridiculous as time went on.

But no matter how stupid the theories might be, pondering those was infinitely better than pondering the other aspects about Ed's situation. Like the fact that he now had the entire military after him…

Or what they would do to him once he was caught…

Though she trusted the institution of the Amestrian military in general, Winry had heard rumors about the treatment prisoners received. And she'd head Bradley say that Ed would be brought in, _dead or alive_. She didn't know who was leading the investigation against her friend, but if it was a soldier with no respect for human life, Ed could be fatally injured or worse.

She didn't like thinking about the _worse_.

What she should be thinking about was a plan.

How she could possibly help in the situation was beyond Winry, but she knew she somehow needed to. Waiting was what she had grown so used to, but she had also grown used to Ed and Al being able to travel around picking fights with whoever pissed Ed off and coming back mostly unscathed. Very few times had serious damage actually been inflicted on the boys. But most importantly, what she had grown used to was knowing that whenever things got tough for the Elrics, they had had people to turn to, like the Hughes Family, Ms. Riza, Major Armstrong, and even Colonel Mustang. When Ed got hurt, one of them would ensure Ed got safely to a hospital to heal.

Now, all those people were supposed to be helping "bring Ed to justice", being in in the military. Everything Winry was used to had been shattered in one fell swoop.

She was the only one left Ed and Al could turn to.

Gears turning in her minds, and gears turning in the automail arm Winry had begun tinkering on, Winry knew she needed to find the Elric brothers before anything else could happen to them.

Winry should go to Central. If she was there, she could help smuggle her boys out somehow and discover how exactly everyone had gotten into this mess.

With no guarantee about Ed's safety, she couldn't just stay in Rush Valley and wait for him anymore. It was what she'd done before, but with the bombshells dropped on her life, waiting might not be her next option.

The Elric brothers were extremely capable, and by no means helpless without her, but that still didn't mean that they couldn't use all the help they could get. And with the entirety of Amestris against them, having one more person on their side would be immense.

So Winry decided that after her work that day, she would pack a suitcase and catch the late night train to Central. Mr. Garfiel would understand (he annoyingly enjoyed called Ed, Winry's boyfriend), and if all went well, she should be able to bring the boys back soon, and return without too much of a hassle to her customers.

The plan was vague and terrible, and it really should have been thought about more, but Winry just did not have the time to expend on making sure her plan had no kinks. If so, she had a twelve hour long train ride to Central to smooth them out.

One last screw tightened in the arm Winry was working on. She was going to Central, and she was going to help clear Edward's name.

Riza Hawkeye slammed the door to her apartment shut in an uncharacteristic move, startling Hayate, who had pranced up to meet her.

Roy was at another meeting with Bradley that night, talking about the specifics of his new mission and his new team.

He wouldn't be able to remove her tattoo like she wanted him to. She'd be stuck walking around like some kind of human notepad, just waiting to be read, for God knew how long until they were able to agree on another date. The first one had taken so many days of careful sneaking around and coded messages to figure out, and now Bradley had even tighter surveillance surrounding her and Roy; this would be impossible.

Her back ached from having to stand so stiffly all day; the perfect soldier, doing her duty even as her world fell apart. Her face felt stuck in her perpetual blank expression. Her heartstrings were pulled to their full extent, painful as possible.

Earlier, Riza had had her worries about Roy, and how he would make it, trying to _kill Edward_ , without falling apart. But for the first time in weeks, she began to worry about herself. Every week just brought a new catastrophe, and she didn't want to think about how many more she'd have to endure before they could be done with the whole nightmare.

It could be months.

It could be _years_.

With an undignified thump, Riza threw her boots into the closet and hung her jacket. Hayate danced between her legs until she finally picked him up and held him close.

She couldn't break. Not now; not when she had so many people counting on her to stay strong. Ugh, she just wished it wasn't so _hard._

Roy's new task was to obliterate Edward. Forget Greed; that homunculus was just a minor detail in the matter. Ed's soul and body were going to be destroyed if Roy actually carried out his orders.

Colonel- now Brigadier General- Mustang looked hesitant, and the few times he'd managed to catch her eye during the day, through regret and apology, he'd also managed to send a clear message that he wasn't planning on killing Ed. But orders from Bradley meant that there were five more lives at stake than just his own. And not every member of the new squad he commanded were going to be so merciful.

Certainly not Solf J. Kimblee, now reinstated in the military as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Just seeing that lunatic again made Riza want to retch. They'd left him behind in Ishval; just another nightmarish aspect of that hellish desert. But now he had returned, eyes as wild with bloodlust as ever.

It had taken every ounce of Riza's self control not to shoot the bastard on sight.

Because not only was he a maniac who should have stayed behind bars, but he was a maniac who took joy in killing. Lieutenant Colonel Kimblee would just be fucking overjoyed to see Edward Elric in thousands of tiny, red pieces.

Now Roy had to work with that monster in order to kill a child who he'd grown close to over the past four years. Riza just wanted it all to end.

So she clutched Hayate tighter to her and made her way into the living room, so she could collapse on the couch. Paperwork be damned, she was drained and needed to rest.

But as soon as she made contact with her soft cushion, she heard a rustling noise from the kitchen.

Ears on high alert, Riza unholstered the pistol still attached to her hip. Was it just some burglar? Or was it someone sent by Wrath and the other homunculi? Avoiding all her creaking floorboards, Riza padded to the kitchen and paused outside the door without looking in.

The refrigerator door banged shut, and Riza took the safety off her gun. Her finger slid onto the trigger, prepared to shoot whoever was violating her property. With her other hand, she slowly turned the knob on the kitchen door and swung it open to reveal who was inside.

But through the iron sights on the top of her pistol, Riza saw something that made her blink twice in confusion.

"Hey there, Lieutenant Hawkeye! It's nice to see you again," A full meal on the table and a smile on his face, Riza saw Prince Ling Yao in her kitchen, munching on a chicken leg.

"How did you get in here?" As soon as the question left her mouth, Riza noticed the curtains on her window moving; blown on by the incoming wind. Ling saw her realization and thought it unnecessary to verbally answer the question.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here, or want to ask me a couple more questions," Ling took a bite out of his chicken, "But I need your help first, Lieutenant."

"With what?"

The happy-go-lucky smile melted off his face, and through narrowed eyes, Ling spoke up once more, "I made a promise to the Elric brothers weeks ago, and I can't just leave them helpless now. Lan Fan is safe now with Fu, and as she recuperates, I have come back to attend to my unfinished business," He stood up and took a step toward Riza, "I need you to tell me where Alphonse Elric went."

Ed gulped. The train he was in puffed smoke out, and he and Greed quickly unboarded before any railway workers found out that someone had been stowing away in the cargo-holding cars. With the setting sun casting shadows and helping him blend in easier, Greed made his way to an alleyway and yanked his black hood off of his head.

" _Alright kid, so now where?_ " seemingly annoyed at having to ask the question, Greed was the first to speak up, " _I don't know where you little girlfriend lives, so you gotta tell me_."

" _Hey! She's not my-_ " Ed paused, and then took a deep breath at the thought of Winry.

After sixteen hours of train hopping, he and Greed had finally made their way to Rush Valley; to Winry. And now, even though he wasn't in control of his heart, Ed could have sworn it was beating faster.

He was going to see Winry again.

He was going to see Winry again as Amestris' most wanted criminal, and as a homunculus who actually had succeeded in killing someone. A homecoming such as this one was not the kind he ever would have wanted to give Winry, but sadly, this fucked-up appearance was all he could give.

Whatever was her opinion of him after she saw him wouldn't matter though. All he needed to really do was ensure Winry got away to somewhere safe. Even if she was objectively terrified of the fact that he'd now become a monster with literal blood on his hands (he could still practically _feel_ Bido's life leaving him), Ed was still determined to keep her out of the clutches of that maniac, Wrath.

A herd of rhinos danced around in his gut, much more painful than butterflies, and Ed let out another deep breath. Winry was his top priority now, not his appearance.

" _Hey pipsqueak, you alright there?_ " Greed raised an eyebrow at Ed's antics, and the state alchemist- well, former state alchemist- cursed the fact that Greed could tell how nervous he was about facing Winry again.

She still probably thought he was a good person, but now his hands had killed someone in cold blood, and were most of the time, controlled by an immortal monster. It would be such a devastating shock to find the state her former best friend was in.

And Ed hated himself for it. He'd promised her that he wouldn't make her cry until he and Alphonse had regained their bodies, but since Winry could be so lachrymose, his promise could be broken.

Winry deserved none of the shit he and Wrath would put her through; she was completely separate and innocent, and trying to live her own life in peace. She hadn't been stupid enough to get involved before, and it was unfair of anyone to drag her in once things got messy.

" _Hey, midget_ ," Greed spoke up again, this time, was that a hint of concern edging his voice?

" _I'm fine, asshole,_ " Ed composed himself and replied, hoping he'd be able to keep it together until they got Winry to safety.

" _Hey,_ " Greed cleared his throat, _"You'll be better at convincing Winter or whatever her name is to leave, so for the first half hour, do you want to take control?"_ Ed's eyes widened as the homunculus looked away.

" _Wait a second, Greed. Did you just say what I think you said?_ " Incredulously, Ed tried to come up with any alternatives to what Greed may have meant. The homunculus he'd been at odds with since day one was actually _offering up control._

" _Yes, runt._ " Greed huffed, still not making eye contact, " _This deal is take it or leave it, and only for thirty minutes, so give me an answer."_

" _Yes! I mean, uh, yeah…_ " Ed shouted almost too enthusiastically before toning it down a bit and looking away.

Without Greed in control, he could at least explain to Winry what was going on, and properly apologize before she met Greed, instead of having to find some way to break through halfway through their meeting. Even though she still would have to deal with what he'd become, it wouldn't be as terrible a shock for her.

" _Alright, kid, your time will start ticking the exact second her front door opens_ ," Greed responded, then pushed himself off of the wall he'd been leaning against, " _Let's find your girlfriend quick, so I can get this over with soon._ "

With Ed telling Greed exactly where to go, from the faint memories he had of the times he'd visited Rush Valley before, the two made their way to Garfiel's automail shop in the shadows. And all too soon, as Ed's stomach twisted in fear of what was going to happen, the pink front of Garfiel's automail shop came into view.

 _Alright, Ed_ , trying to fill his head with positive thoughts instead of the negative ones that had been clouding his mind since the day Bido had been killed, Ed tried to reassure himself, _You can explain everything to her, then get her to safety. That's all you need to do. You can do it._

Hood up, Greed sauntered up to the front door, and was about to knock, until it opened, revealing a certain bewildered, blonde mechanic.


End file.
